


Strength Thy Name Is Power

by MaraudersInn_HoneydukesHowler



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Lucy Heartfilia, Bad Friend Natsu Dragneel, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hurt Lucy Heartfilia, Independent Lucy Heartfilia, M/M, Multi, Oblivious Erza Scarlet, Oblivious Natsu Dragneel, Post-Alvarez Teikoku | Alvarez Empire Arc, Strong Lucy Heartfilia, more tags to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2019-06-10 16:28:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15295509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaraudersInn_HoneydukesHowler/pseuds/MaraudersInn_HoneydukesHowler
Summary: Lucy is wrecked after Tartaros. Utterly and truly wrecked. She's drowning with no one to save her. Especially since Fairy Tail no longer remembers how the war truly ended. No one knows what she sacrificed. Question is: Will they ever? Who will help her? Can she crawl out of the pit she's in? *Post Tartaros/Canon Divergence*





	1. Lost

 

* * *

"Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go."

~Hermann Hesse

* * *

Letting go was the hardest part. It always was. It always will... Because no matter how much she wanted to go back and change what had happened, she couldn't. And it was agony. The never ending questions of: "Why wasn't I stronger?" or "Why did it have to be like this?" or "What is she doing now?" and "Why wasn't it me? I was ready... so Why?" Of course none of her questions were answered. Why would they be? If no one had the answers how could the questions be answered?

And, she was... ready to die for her friends. She had been scared, of course, but that was just her brain trying to get her out of the fight, but she had been ready to die. She would have been able to see her parents and her little cousin. So there was good in dying. But, that's not what happened. She didn't die, but she felt like she did. Having broke her spirit's key and never being able to see her again... That made her feel like she was dying. And now, with the mark on her body, it served as a constant reminder that she had failed her oldest friend.

_Aquarius..._

* * *

**_You're a holiday_ **

**_A glass of ocean slipping down my throat_ **

**_And landed on my hopes, I'm dreaming_ **

**_Off the maps no hidden grids, I'm fleeing_ **

**_I worship you like holy days_ **

**_Lying on my back, seeing clouds and rays_ **

**_Drinking lime and bitter from my lemonade_ **

**_White horses merry time won't do_ **

* * *

Lucy woke with a sudden jolt; her eyes snapping open as sun filtered in through her tent. She sat up, groaning at the light pounding that started in her head.

"That is the last time I drink after battle," She grumbled, pulling her knee up to her chest so that she could rest her arm on it.

"You said that the last time, Princess." Loke said, chuckling at his master's pain. "Come on, Lucy, it's time for breakfast and then more training for you." Lucy peeked at the Lion from her fingers and rubbed her eyes.

"You said that the last time, Princess, he said." Lucy mocked, as she grabbed her bag and pulled out a pair of short, tight, spandex shorts and a black sports bra (No one was there so she didn't have to hide). "You have training to do, he said. I've been training for three years, Loke. By now, I have no idea why I'm still out here." The Spirit regarded Lucy with an understanding, but pointed look.

"Cause you're scared. You feel like you're not ready or strong enough to go back, nevermind the fact that in these three years of training, you have not only collected the rest of the Zodiacs, but also some of the rarest keys to ever exist, inherited an 'Unknown' type of water magic and you have two more powerful Celestial Spells- one of which allows you to wield the King's Sword." He replied, running a hand through his unruly hair as he avoided his changing master. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the curling tattoo on her chest- and the several on her back- making him wish that she didn't cover up, despite the pain it caused her to look at it and when her shirt went down, he sighed.

"It's not that I'm scared." She commented, getting up and stretching, before leaving the tent and stretching. "It's moreso the fact that if I see certain people, I'm liable to pound the ever living shit out of them and bury them with flesh eating insects like the pharaohs of old." With a crack of her neck, she sat down in front of the roaring fire as Virgo passed her a steaming plate of eggs, meat, toast, and cut fruit- the latter of course being chilled.

"Princess-sama, Capricorn will not be able to come out today, but he told me to tell you that you should and I quote, "Meditate or I will make Lyra play that song on repeat for ten hours, while you're meditating for half the day.'" Virgo smiled as her mistress' eye twitched and her body shivered.

"That sadist." Lucy mumbled as she took a bite of her toast, nearly groaning at the deliciousness of it (that and she was just really hungry since she didn't eat last night).

Loke snorted and accepted another plate from Virgo. "Thanks, Vee. While, he may be a sadist Lucy, he is right. You can't not meditate, especially w-"

"'Without any limiters on, which we should get, cause you don't have any in the Spirit Realm and blah, b-blah, b-blah.' I know, Loke, but meditating gets boring after a while. Can't I just take one day off?" Lucy asked, as Virgo paced a cup of coffee with cream in front of her.

"Not a chance, Princess. Meditate or use all your magic and we both know that the latter of the two isn't happening because, you'd be out for a couple days, which means we wouldn't be able to take care of you. Even I can't hold my gate open for severe amounts of time." The blonde nodded her head at Loke and he chuckled again, rubbing her back supportingly.

"It's okay, without Capricorn here, you won't have to do it for as long. And I'm sure Virgo can keep it to herself that you won't be doing it for as long as he makes you." He gave a pointed look to his sister, who mimed zipping her lips.

Lucy sighed again and put her half eaten food aside (saving it for after her meditation) and relaxed her body. Her mind and heart slowed down as she blocked out her surroundings, focusing on her breathing. _In and out, Lucy, just like last time. In and out and in and out and in and out...And In..._

* * *

_**Do you remember the holiday** _

_**Slipped away** _

_**Time and place** _

_**I definately remember** _

_**lying on my back and seeing** _

**_clouds and rays_ **

**_we're dreaming_ **

**_the feelings rule_ **

**_forever we're young_ **

**_pages unsung_ **

* * *

"Jellal, we've been walking for hours, can't we take a break?" A pink-haired woman asked, looking at the bluenette with something akin to annoyance. _Seriously, I mean, if you're going to go meet up with Red then you should have the common fucking decency to tell us._ She thought, glaring at the mage's back.

"We're not meeting up with Hammer Time, so you can calm your tits, Demon." Cobra replied, crossing his arms and frowning. Meredy growled and attempted to punch the slayer. Key Word: Attempted. Which means she failed. Horribly.

"We're not meeting up with Erza." Jellal answered. "I did rounds this morning and felt… A pulse." Five out of the seven mages, the sixth being Macbeth who was asleep, stared at the bluenette with dead expressions.

"Like your own pulse, Tramp Stamp, or a magical pulse?" Cobra asked, as he tilted his head to the side and glared at Jellal.

 _Tramp Stamp, Cobra, really? Can't you come up with something original?_ Jellal thought as he levelled his own glare at the maroon haired man.

Cobra smiled. "Cocktrough Pocket Pussy." He said simply. The bluenette wrinkled his nose as Sorano laughed and Meredy choked on her own spit.

"Right well, back to the business at hand." Jellal replied, looking in the direction of where he had been walking. "¼ of a mile from here is a source of magic. That's where the pulse is coming from. Now, either Gildarts Clive is somewhere in the vicinity or we are about to come across a very powerful talisman."

Sorano nodded her head and asked, "Do you know if it's a dark relic?"

"No, right now it's indistinguishable from the rest of the forest." Jellal said, confused. His brow wrinkled as he closed his eyes and focused on the feel of the energy. Wha-whup, wha-whup, wha-whup, wha-whup. "It feels almost as if it's being pushed into the earth." He opened his eyes and gestured for them to keep going. "Come on, it's starting to get faster."

Wha-whup-wha-whup-wha-whup… "Fuck, you weren't kidding, were you?" Cobra said as the bass-y toned pulses assaulted his hearing. "Shits fuckng loud."

"Just keep your ears open," Sorano said, hiding a devious smile.

"Oh, ha ha." Cobra deadpanned, and for a second thought about breaking the rule of killing his teammates. It was oddly intriguing.

"Well, I could have said keep your eyes open, but you only have one, you One Eye Fannyball!" Sorano replied, haughtily.

"Go fuck a cactus, you Desert Snatch!" Cobra replied with just as much venom.

"Oh go shove a-" "Wait, shut up!" Cobra interrupted as a different sound filtered through his hearing.

"You can't tell me to-"

"Shh-" He said, gesturing at her as he grabbed onto the back of Jellal's cloak and pulled the bluenette behind him. Cobra stepped quietly and carefully as he approached a high bush, that formed a wall of sorts. Behind it, was the sound that had berated his ears, cutting through the buzzing of magic with a thunderous melody. It was a soul.

Cobra pushed aside a part of the foliage and looked into what he assumed was a clearing of sorts. And right in the middle, was a series of spheres- each a different size and color- circling around a blonde girl.

"Oh, you've got to be shitting me!" He stage-whispered, in order to not alert the blonde Celestial Mage.

"What is it?" Jellal said, pushing his way past Meredy to join the slayer. He peered in the gap and felt his jaw drop. "How the hell? This can't be possible."

"Who is it?" Meredy asked, trying to see around the two men.

"What is it?" Sorano echoed, looking down at her nails. Jellal straightened and unclasped his cloak as he cleared his throat.

"Sawyer, I need you to secure the perimeter, just in case Salamander happens to show up or is nearby. Richard-"

"Oh Yeah!" The blocked face man said, smiling.

Jellal paused, his hand still up and pointing at him. "You do you, Richard, you do you." The blue haired man turned to Cobra and Sorano. "Cobra, no maiming. Sorano, calm yourself. Meredy, you're fine and Midnight is still asleep. We all good?"

They all nodded. "Yeah, we're ready. Now are you going to tell us who is out there, or are we just going to have to find out?" Sorano said, crossing her arms over her abundant chest, her eyebrow cocked.

Jellal smiled slightly. "Let's just say that we're about to meet an old associate of

* * *

_**I feel that you remember** _

_**dreaming of a past that couldn't last** _

_**but now we're changing, refraining** _

_**I think it is the, know that it's the** _

**_I think it is the bad, bad blood_ **

**_i think it is the, know that it's the_ **

**_i think it is the bad, bad blood_ **

**_Do you remember the riding, the passion_ **

**_the falling over, tripping on ice_ **

**_sharing advice, taking it twice_ **

**_but let us not forget_ **

**_silent day, stripped away_ **

**_time and place_ **

**_oh, you choose not to remember_ **

**_fly away, counting days_ **

**_i'm hiding from you_ **

* * *

"Keep going, Lucy. Ten more and then you need to solidify them. After that you can break for lunch." A voice said, catching the group's attention.

 _Lucy Mother Fucking Heartfilia!_ Sorano screamed in her mind, her eyes widening as the blonde came into view. Luckily, though, her back was to them.

Cobra chuckled. "She's not going to bite, in anything, she might kick you though." Jellal shushed them and glared.

"Will you two shut up?!" He said, not looking away from the powerful orbs. Curious, oh curious.

Loke turned around suddenly, as a branch snapped and was surprised to see the Crime Sorciere members step through Lucy's barrier, all looking at the blonde in either shock or timid awe. Both emotions he was very familiar with, when it came to Lucy- like her sacrificing her life for him or her devotion to Fairy Tail- those always put wonder in him. And like now, when she was exercising her magic, it shocked him to the core at the amount of power his Master had. It was probably why the Celestial King gave her the last three Zodiac keys.

Cobra raised an eyebrow at the spirit. _The Celstial King?_ "Yo, Thunder Thighs, who's the Celestial King?" He asked, looking at the white haired mage, who was cowering slightly under the gaze of the Spirit. Her head popped up at his question though, her eyes widening even more, if it was possible.

"He's the king the Spirit Realm." Sorano said, "Why do you ask?" Cobra's eyebrows shot up and he turned back to the blonde.

"Really? Hmm." He replied, vaguely. "Interesting." The wha-whup sound was getting louder, causing him to wince slightly and shake his head. "Seriously fucking loud."

Jellal snorted and walked over to Loke, shaking the Celestial Spirit's hand. "Leo, it's good to see you again."

The man pushed up his glasses and smirked. "It's Loke, Jellal. I haven't been Leo since Karen and those are days I wish to leave in the past. I assume that you felt my Master's magic?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes, I did. I thought it was a magical talisman of some sort, but it seems I was wrong." He looked the blonde woman. "It was just a very strong mage with a very unique source of magic." Loke saw the small admiring smile Jellal had on his face and smirked.

"So, Kitty-Cat, what's up with Tig Ol' Bitties, over there?" Cobra asked, coming up to join the two. "Why is she out here all alone?"

Loke opened his mouth to speak, when a cracking sound broke through the air. They turned to see Lucy standing there, glaring at Cobra, her new whip (courtesy of Virgo) out and glowing. Her jaw was clenched slightly and a smug snarl curled her full lips.

"What- did you just call me?" She asked, brown eyes lighting up with magical power. She looked like sexy hellion ready to fuck shit up. Cobra raised an eyebrow and smirked, amused.

"Tig Ol' Bitties, cause in case you haven't noticed, you've got some serious chestage." He replied, crossing his arms as he watched Lucy coil hr hwip and send it back to the Celestial plane. Thinking that he was in the clear, he looked back at Loke, only to feel something crash into him and send him forty feet from where he was at.

The group's jaw dropped, save Loke, as they watched their comrade sail through the air and into the woods. When they turned back to Lucy, she was sitting down with a plate of food in her hand and several more around her.

"Come on, sit down. You can join me for lunch and explain why you're here."


	2. Found

"The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder."

~Ralph W. Sockman

* * *

 **Give me today my daily bread**  
**Help me to walk alone ahead**  
**Though I walk through the darkest valley I will fear no love**  
**Oh my smile my mind reassure me I don't need no one**

**Woke up this morning with my mind set on loving me**

**With my mind set on loving me**

* * *

"So." Lucy said, taking a bite of the hearty pasta Virgo had prepared for her. "What can I do for the Crime Sorciere this fine day?" The blonde woman didn't even glance up from her plate as she swallowed and took another bite.

Jellal, being the leader-y leader who leads like a leader, looked at her, a slightly embarrassed look on his face. "To be honest, we didn't even know that you were out here, I had felt a pulse of magical energy and made the group search for it. When we came through the wall, we found you sitting down with an immense magical aura around you." He answered, taking a bite out of his food.

"And it was a powerful pulse too, Lucy-san." Meredy commented. "Jellel thought it was a relic, or Gildarts." She giggled as her long-time friend blushed and looked away from the group.

Lucy chuckled lowly. "That's what happens when you train constantly for three years." Their heads snapped back to look at her, eyes wide and mouths open in astonishment.

"Three years, Blondie? That's a long time to be away from your Fairy family," CObra said, coming back into the clearing, brushing off leaves that were stuck in various places on his persona. He sat down next to Lucy, despite the weird looks his team was giving him (mostly Sorano and Midnight.), and dug into his plate, poisoned of course courtesy of Virgo.

"If you hadn't noticed, Dickwawd," Lucy said, pausing to swallow her lunch. She held up her hand and took another bite, ignoring the gasps of shock. "I left them a long time ago." She grimaced and wiped her mouth. _After everything that had happened, they didn't need me anymore. I couldn't watch them die._ Cobra gave her a sharp glance- one that she ignored- and watched as several memories flittered through her mind, some of her spirits, some of the war.

"Lucy-san, why would you leave? Do they know that you left?" Jellal asked, concerned and worried. What happened to make the Light of Fairy Tail leave?

Lucy sighed and set her plate to the side, taking a swig of the water in her canteen. She contemplated on answering the question with a lie, but then decided against it seeing as Cobra was sitting right next to her. "Things happened during the war, Jellal. The whole war was one big mind-fucking shitfest, okay?" She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

"But why did you leave?" He said, stressing the 'you' in his sentence.

Sorano looked at Jellal like he was crazy, before turning her gaze back to the bodacious blonde across from her. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion when she took a closer look at Lucy, more specifically Lucy's collarbones. Dark blue ink was set against her skin in an 'M' that curved out towards her shoulders. The familiar tattoo made her eyes widen as she gasped softly, an image of a blue haired mermaid popping up in her head.

Brown eyes met blue as Sorano said, "Lucy- I." The blonde girl shook her head slightly as she turned back to Jellal, who looked at them in confusion.

"I left because I had to. I couldn't stay in Fairy Tail anymore." _I couldn't see that stupid fucking expression on everyone's face when I came in everyday._ "Only the master knows why and where I've gone." I couldn't handle always being pissed off at everyone and self-critical at myself.

"What happened, Lucy?" Sorano asked, lowly as she scoot closer to her fellow holder mage. Lucy looked down at her hands as they curled into fists.

"I saved them."

* * *

**Woke up this morning with my mind set on loving me**

**With my mind set on loving me**

**I’m not lonely, I’m alone**

**And i’m holy by my own**

**I’m not lonely, I’m alone**

**And I’m holy by my own**   
  


* * *

The pain behind those words physically left Cobra bereft. He swallowed the spit in his mouth as he stared wide eyed at the ground in front of him, listening to the cacophonous anguish coming from Lucy's multi-layered soul. It was astonishing… how sad it sounded. How much it wailed and cried out in pain. If he didn't close off his emotions, he would have been tearing up, just because he could actually feel his soul echoing hers.

"Saved... Fairy Tail? During the war, right?" Sorano said, grabbing onto one of Lucy's hands. The blonde just nodded as his white haired teammate continued in a whisper. "What you did should have been impossible, Lucy-san. You are so much stronger now, than you have ever been. If that mark is anything to go by." Of course, Cobra heard every word his 'friend' was saying, and he looked at Lucy to see what Sorano was talking about.

There, on her chest, in view- really it was in plain view- was the tattoo of Aquarius.

 _I know you heard, Beast Fucker._ Sorano thought, her eyes still on the blonde. _Keep this to yourself for now, alright?_ When he nodded, she continued, mentally sighing. _Celestial Spirit Marks are only in myths. You can't get them tattooed on purpose because the King made it magically impossible, trust me I know. There are two ways to get the mark and that is if, One) A Celestial Spirit is dying and the King gives you the responsibility of becoming that spirit, or Two) You summon the Spirit King by breaking the contract with one of the Zodiac Spirits._ She took a moment to glance around the camp; Jellal had a pensive expression on his face, Midnight had given up on trying to figure out what was happening and had fallen asleep again, Richard had gone off to check on Racer.

_I… had heard rumors from my sister, before she gave her keys to Lucy permanently. Rumors about Mard Geer and the Celestial King engaging in a catastrophic fight. Thing is, the King doesn't come down for just anybody- actually he can't come down from the Celestial World because by the truce he and the Magic Council have, but he came down to our word because Lucy here…_

_She broke a Zodiac key._


	3. Woe

_Lucy's mother used to read her poetry before bedtime. It was a tradition they made, when Lucy got the stomach flu and couldn't leave her room for a week. She thought about those times a lot, lately._

* * *

**Oh my darling I've been missing you for quite some time**   
**So I'm gonna lift the oceans, just to see your eyes**

**I could be a warrior, yes I am a warrior**   
**There's no need to worry love**   
**Look around it's glorious**   
**Close your eyes and taste the sun**

* * *

Cobra's eye widened, slightly. _You've got to be shitting me._ He thought. Looking at the blonde, he mastered his expression into that of a cocky ass bastard.

"Well, it doesn't matter what I did." Lucy said, gathering her stuff up and dumping water onto the small fore she had going. "All that matters is that I don't plan on going back to Fairy Tail soon. They might as well forget about me."

Jellal felt his teeth clench. "Why? Why would you want them to forget about you?" He asked, his tone of voice showing how much those words affected him.

Lucy looked down at him. Her honey brown eyes were narrowed with intelligence. "Because it's easier for them to forget, than it is for me." She moved closer to him, an aura of magic around her, causing her hair to float slightly with the invisible breeze. "Let me let you in on a secret Fernandez…"

Jellal's eyes widened with the use of his surname.

Lucy sneered at him as she continued. "Every one of Fairy Tail's members, bar a few, are missing key details on just how we won that war. Now, I don't really mean to be such a bitter ol' bitch when I say, Fairy Tail can go fuck themselves right now." She turned away from them, continuing to pack up her camp to move to the next checkpoint.

The group's eyes widened with shock at both the blonde's vulgarity and her disregard for her favorite guild.

Jellal stood up in anger, his eyes flashing with rage. "Look how short of time it took for you to turn your back on your family." He said, with a nasty sneer of his own. Lucy froze….

... _and then the air became still._

Cobra barely even heard it before it happened. It sounded like a bunch of hell raising banshees rising up from the soils of the Underworld. He winced and covered his ears, but nothing helped and soon enough, his head was ringing with noise. His eye, which had shut to avoid the pain, had opened briefly to see such a dark expression on the so-called 'Light of the Fairies'.

Lucy's hands were clenched so hard, her nails cut into her palms. "My family…" she whispered, so low, so deadly, that it sent shivers down everyone's spine- including Loki's- "is dead."

"B-but Lucy-san, what about your spirits? I thought they w-were your family too?" Meredy asked, trembling slightly as she was pinned down by Lucy's glare of disdain.

A pity filled smile appeared of the Celestial Mages face. "They are, but they're not who I was talking about. My father, mother, little cousin and now her, are all gone. All dead, because of Fairy Tail. La Mort Moissonneur*, took them all away from me because of that fucking guild."

* * *

**You know where to find me  
(You know where to find!)**

**Oh my darling I am getting closer, hold on tight**  
And I, know it hasn't been so easy  
I'm fighting for my life

* * *

Meredy felt tears come to her eyes and she curled into Sorano. "The Death Reaper took your family? Like it takes everyone else as well?" Sorano asked, softly, feeling a mixture of guilt and pity. "You're not special for losing your family, Lucy. You can't spew hatred for people dying."

Lucy shook her head, vigorously, and groaned in frustration. "You don't understand." She placed her hands on her hips and stood tall. "My mother died, not because of a mysterious illness like everyone thought, but because she was a distant cousin to the First, Mavis, and some dark mage decided that she was good enough to take revenge on Fairy Tail for their destruction of his home. Not only did he infect her with a necropolising virus, but he also thought that he'd have his way with her as well." Cobra felt sick as he watched through Little Lucy's eyes as a man raped her mother in front of her. Jellal pressed a hand to his mouth, feeling bile rising. Meredy didn't make it, she broke from Sorano and ran to the nearest tree, retching.

Lucy chuckled, humorously. "Oh, yes. I was there. Hopeless and helpless as he took her. From that point on, she broke down, mentally and physically. She died the same day as the dragons disappeared, did you know that?" Shaking her head, she let it drop to her chest, taking a deep breath. "My father, he died when we were stuck on Tenrou island. I may have dislike the man, but I still loved him. He was my father. He may have made my childhood miserable, but I don't think I will ever not love him, just not like him." She chuckled bitterly. "My cousin, you all remember, except you Jellal, you never knew Michelle did you? Never saw as I discovered she was just an animated toy for these folks right here to play with, to animate and make me remember that maybe my life hasn't been utter shit. She died too."

"Why are you telling us this?" Jellal whispered, his heart tearing up at the story Lucy was weaving.

"Because you need to realize that it's going to take a bit more than three or four years of memories to fill the void left in me by Fairy Tail. I know Sorano figured it out, and by her, Cobra too, but would you like to know how we are all alive right now? How Mard Geer, that fucker, is now a rotting corpse in the Celestial Plain?"

Jellal frowned. "Everyone knows that Natsu and Gray sent him back into the book of E.N.D…." he trailed off as Lucy started laughing hysterically.

"Oh golly, and here I was thinking you were unaffected by the spell." She shook her head, closing her eyes as she lifted her face to the sky. "No, no. Gray and Natsu did take part in defeating a powerful demon, but they didn't defeat Mard Geer. That was just a false memory planted into everyone's head after the fight, to keep the truth hidden."

"Then who did?" Cobra asked, speaking up for the first time. Lucy smirked at him.

"Me."

* * *

**I could be a warrior, yes I am a warrior**  
There's no need to worry love  
Look around it's glorious  
Close your eyes and taste the sun

**You know where to find me**  
(I know where to find!)  
And I know where to find you

* * *

The forest was silent; no birds sang, no crickets sounded, no breathing was heard.

"B-but, how?" Jellal croaked out, his throat closing with emotion. Ezra would be in tears if she could see her once bright friend.

"By doing what I do best," she said, brushing her hand over her set of keys and manipulating her magic to hold them out in front of them. A single golden key stood out from the rest. "And what I do best… is sacrificing everything for the sake of everyone." The reason it stood out, was because it was broken in half with blood permanently staining the end.

"Y-you broke your key?" Meredy gasped, going back into Sorano's embrace.

Lucy nodded. "Not that it was my choice, but yes. I broke my key, to save everyone, I sacrificed my family and my first friend."

"And you summoned the Celestial King for us." Sorano added, softly. She knew the price of breaking a Zodiac key. She had tried to do it back in the day, when she had no moral standard- aka no self righteous leader hellbent on being good- to impress Brain. But she wasn't strong enough, mentally or magically.

The group's eyes widened at that, save Cobra who knew already. They looked at Lucy with awe and surprise.

"That is the price of breaking a Zodiac key." Loke responded, albeit a tad emotionless. He hid behind his dark glasses. Expressionless. Much like how Lucy had bern before the anger and heartache consumed her being. And the guilt. The tremendous amounts of guilt that plagued her.

* * *

_Yes, Lucy often reflected on the poetry her mother read to her at night. If only to distract her from her problems._

* * *

***La Mort** **Moissonneur is just what I like to call the entity of Death. That and Godfather Death.**


	4. Woman with the Titian Hair

**_Your heart is what it is_ **

 

**_You stood in the hallway starin' back_ **  
**_Whoa_ **  
**_I don't know what it is_ **  
**_I can't make my heart feel like that_ **  
**_Oh, whoa_ **

* * *

"And with my King, my princess took down Mard, trapping him in the book. From there, the book is now locked away where no one can get it." Loke continued.

"The Celestial World?" Meredy asked.

"In Crux's hidden library. Away from the palace, away from the rest of the spirits, where no one can touch it." Loke replied, crossing his arms.

"It's under so many enchantments, it would need a tremendous amount of power to take them all down," Lucy commented, clipping her keys back onto her belt loop. She sighed.

"Look, guys, I know that you may think I'm callous, majorly bitchy and a downright cunt, but… I have my reasons to be. I've explained it to you, you know what you need to. It's going to take me a while to get over all that I went through during the war and then immediately after with the guild shutting down for the upteenth time. Not to mention, my team leaving me without so much as a goodbye, nope… just a quick 'See ya later, Lucy. Stay there in Magnolia and protect the guild. It's been real.' That right there, was the real kicker." She rubbed a hand against her face as her eyes started prickling.

Cobra frowned, his forehead creasing with confusion. "You mean after Fairy Tail disbanded, your goodie-two shoes teammates left you there on your own after all you did for them? For us?"

Lucy gave him a wry grin. "It's not like they can remember anyway. We had to plant false memories in their minds to protect them, essentially yes. I mean, I get it though- we all had shit to deal with after that fuckfest, but it still would have been nice for them to say it to me face-to-face, give me more of an explanation than what they left me."

Sorano grimaced and spoke, "Do you think you'll ever go back?" Despite their past, Sorano actually liked Lucy. At least, liked the her from before.

Lucy had a far away look, as she gazed at the sky. "I don't know. Fairy Tail was my home for a long time. It was my family and my safe haven from my bullshit life, but I don't know. Eventually, maybe. But right now? Not unless someone kidnaps me- though know me, that's probably what would happen." The last part she muttered to herself, pinching her bottom lip in thought. Cobra chuckled at the soft spoken words.

Looking in on her soul, he saw…. a lot of misplaced blame. And regret. And anger, so much pent up anger. And sadness, like a stormy, vast sea- deep and unforgiving. Kinda beautiful in a messed up way.

Cobra was so distracted by Lucy's multi-layered soul, that what happened next was absolutely a once in a lifetime thing.

.

.

.

….. He got bowled over by Racer.

The said speed mage tried and stumbled over Cobra, just missing the doused campfire and Lucy, and went rolling into her tent. They all just stood there, silently trying to piece together what the fuck just happened.

Racer was out of Lucy's tent in a split second; a racy deep blue scrap of underwear was hanging off of his head.

"S-she's coming!" He stuttered, pointing in the direction he just came from.

"What the fuck?! Who's coming?!" Lucy yelled, stomping over and pulling the underwear from his head.

Cobra snarled and listened for the intruder. Meredy and Sorano readied their magic with Jellal. Lucy had her hand on her whip and listened to the sounds of loud, rough footsteps in the forest. Familiar footsteps. And clanging metal.

"Erza/Titania/Scarlet." Lucy, Cobra, and Sorano muttered together. Lucy growled in frustration.

"I knew I should have left earlier." She glared at Jellal. "She's like a bloodhound for you, you blueballed, WALKING TAINT!" She yelled, hands on her hips, hair flying around with magic.

Cobra choked on his spit, looking at Lucy like she was a god damned godsend. Meredy was silently crying tears of laughter, trying to cram her laughter back down her throat at her fearless leaders shocked and slightly green expression. Sorano just looked smug and slightly scared as she turned back to the woods to see a flash of red hair.

"Uh, guys…? She's here." Sorano called back over her shoulder, now fully facing the woods. Lucy and the rest tensed up and looked past Sorano, into the trees.

Erza appeared a moment later, her sword drawn. She paused in her steps, looking around at the mages, before stopping at one. Lucy.

"Lu." She whispered, her blade dropping to the ground in her surprise. She looked lost for a second.

* * *

**_And I won’t hear you callin’_ **

**_Whoa_ **

**_Don’t leave me here alone._ **

**_’Cause even if I said it_ **

**_You wouldn’t hear it_ **

* * *

"Erza."

* * *

**We ride and the lights are out**

**City bright and the rain falls down outside**

**I don’t wanna go home**

**I miss you when you’re not around**

**Not so simple just to say out loud**

**All those words I feel when I’m alone**

* * *

Lucy was still guarded and stiff as the Titian haired woman walked over to her and promptly hugged her…. hard.

"We've missed you so much, Lucy." Erza said, her voice muffled by Lucy's hair and shoulder. The blond woman did nothing except pull away slightly.

"It's good to see you, Erza. Now, what are you doing here?" Lucy asked, looking at her former guildmate with a quizzical expression on her face.

Erza felt hurt. "Initially, I had no idea you were here. I was just following Jellal's magical signature, but now…. I don't know. Lucy, where have you been!?"

Lucy shrugged, turning to throw her pack on her back. "Everywhere. I've been traveling and training and processing some things."

Erza gripped her shoulders. "Why did you never return? We've been searching for you for years!" Lucy choffed.

Rolling her eyes and blowing her bangs out of her face, she gazed at Erza. "I did stay in the beginning. I kept into contact with Master when he returned, but I needed to get away from Fairy Tail, take some time for myself. You should understand that, Erza." Those last few words cut into Erza something fierce.

She swallowed down the lump in her throat. "But it's been years…"

"And?" Lucy said, softly, her eyebrow cocked.

Erza's face dropped. Lucy patted her on the shoulder and for the first time, Erza caught a glimpse of mer missing guild mark. She didn't say anything, but she felt an overwhelming sadness. "Will you come back with me?" She whispered.

"Not willingly." Lucy moved past her and looked at the group. "I'm heading out now, follow, don't follow. Don't matter to me. It was nice seeing you all." She missed Erza's determined look. Cobra snorted at her thoughts, eye wide with curiosity.

"Lucy," she called over her shoulder. The blond girl turned to look at her. Erza smiled and continued. "I'm sorry about this."

Lucy looked confused. "About what?"

She didn't get her answer. What she did get was a super fast Erza slamming into her and suddenly her world went dark.

As the blond dropped, the group of criminals behind her gaped at her. Erza turned to look at them, hands on her hips and a pleased expression on her face.

"Well she said not willingly."

* * *

**_I won’t hear you callin’_ **

**_Whoa_ **

**_Don’t leave me here alone_ **

**_Don’t leave me here alone_ **

**_Speak now, streets are flooded_ **

**_Hearts loud, we feel it in our blood and_ **

**_Now, our hearts beat loud_ **

* * *

Lucy blinked lazily up at a ceiling. She was in a bed. An unfamiliar familiar bed. With white sheets. And a room that was also familiarly sterile. She looked around in frantic confusion; her hand was shackled to the bed and she pulled at it, wondering why she felt like someone had ran her over with a bulldozer. And then she remembered… Erza was a bulldozer.

She closed her eyes and groaned. "You've got to be shitting me." She muttered to herself. Hearing a chuckle at her words, she lifted her head to see someone she didn't want to.

Natsu.

 


	5. Makarov

_Lucy blinked lazily up at a ceiling. She was in a bed. An unfamiliar familiar bed. With white sheets. And a room that was also familiarly sterile. She looked around in frantic confusion; her hand was shackled to the bed and she pulled at it, wondering why she felt like someone had ran her over with a bulldozer. And then she remembered… Erza was a bulldozer._

_She closed her eyes and groaned. "You've got to be suitting me." She muttered to herself. Hearing a chuckle at her words, she lifted her head to see someone she didn't want to._

_Natsu._

* * *

"Hiya, Luce." He said, familiar cheek-aching grin on his face. Lucy wanted to dig her nails into it.

He looked different- older. His hair was longer and more wild and his skin was a few shades darker, his shoulders broader and his teeth just a bit sharper. He looked dangerous and Lucy knew that he had definitely grew magic wise as well. But…. then again, so did she.

"What...the actual fuck!?" Lucy growled, her voice low and her eyes lighting up. Her magic surged beneath her fingertips. "Actually nevermind. Rhetorical questions don't need answers, so you can just get the fuck out of this room." She saw him deflate a bit at her venomous words. He gazed her her for a minute, just taking her in, before clapping his hands on his thighs and nodding.

"Alright, Lucy." He replied, giving her half a smile. "But, I'll be back in to check on you in a little bit. The guild's excited to see you." He grinned fully at her again and ran out the door. Lucy froze and grit her teeth.

She should have thrown fucking rocks at him. Boulders. Mountains. In his face. Fuck Natsu.

Closing her eyes, Lucy channeled her magic into her left hand and left out a controlled Regulus Blast from her palm, utterly destroying the shackle. She sat up immediately and frowned at the red marks already showing up on her wrist. Fucking Erza. Fucking Jellal.

She felt thoroughly pissed and stood up, heading towards the door with a killing intent. She snarled at the door handle, finding it locked. Backing up, Lucy closed her eyes again and took a step forward, her leg shooting out to hit the door. It fell with a thick sounding thud. The laughter and talking she could hear from her room stopped completely as Lucy walked with purpose towards the stairs.

Her magic whipped around her; golden/silver energy wrapped around her like a cloak as she gazed over the guild hall. The mages looked up at her in shock and awe. She snarled again and descended the stairs, heading towards the flash of scarlet in her peripheral.

"Erza. Fucking. Scarlet." Lucy said in a deadly tone. The Knight turned around and looked at her friend with surprise. It didn't last long as she was shot back by a beam of magic.

The titian woman flew into a table, cracking it in half as the mages seated at it scattered quickly. Erza groaned as she sat up, just in time to see an enraged blond with glowing fists flying towards her; she just barely dodged the woman. Lucy looked to be sailing past Erza, but at the last moment, she grasped a hold of red hair and turned her body in the air, using the momentum to drag Erza with her. Flipping the redhead over her airborn body, Lucy used Erza as a landing pad when they got to the floor.

"You absolute bitch!" Lucy seethed, her lips twisted in a snarl as she pinned the mage to the floor. "You had no right dragging me back here. No. Fucking. Right!"

Erza felt frightened for a moment; she'd never seen her former teammate so enraged before, never seen such fury burning in her brown eyes. This was a different Lucy. A grown-ass, powerful Celestial Mage who was on a whole new level than in the past.

"Lucy, you may want to calm down…." A voice said, hesitantly.

The blond whipped her head up and met Jellal's gaze with her teeth bared and eyes wild. "Don't worry, blueballs, you're next." She said, turning her attention back to Erza. It had been a mistake to take her eyes off of the woman in the first place. When she turned back, she was met with a fist to her face.

"Motherf- Ugh!" Lucy said, head snapping back as her nerves jolted with pain. Erza used this to her advantage to flip the other woman, pinning her to the ground.

"Are you done?" Erza asked, red hair coming down to graze at Lucy's face.

Lucy smirked viciously. "Not by a long shot, Titania." Lucy bucked her hips and threw Erza off her body, rolling upwards into a crouch as the other woman mirrored her.

"I don't get why you don't want to come back, Lucy." Erza said, trying to calculate the woman's next move.

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Because I needed time, Erza. I already told you this."

"Yeah, and that's bullshit, so what's the real reason?" Lucy growled and launched herself at Erza, this time feet first.

"Regulus Lucy Kick!" Lucy yelled out and with a loud boom, the room was covered in wood chips and dust as a single giant hand came down in between the two women. Lucy dropped her leg immediately, standing up straight as she looked up at Master Makarov.

He stared at her with an unflinching gaze, his expression a mix of pride and disappointment. Erza stood on the other size with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Lucy." Master rumbled out, retracting his hand. "It's good to see you in person, but what are you doing here? Your last letter said that you'd be in the Waas forest by now."

Lucy rolled her eyes and huffed. "I would have been had the Walking Taint and the Wonder Criminals over there left me the fuck alone." She said, mirroring Erza by crossing her arms under her chest. Makarov lifted an eyebrow and looked down to see Jellal and the rest of Crime Sorciere in his hall.

"Ah, I see." He stroked his mustache. "And I assume Erza was tracking said Walking Taint?"

"M-master!" Erza stammered, trying but failing to defend her friend and 'secret' lover. Cobra was almost bent over in laughter at Makarov's nonchalant way of insulting Jellal.

"I think that's going to be my favorite memory, besides Jiggly Tits tackling Titania and beating the shit out of her." Cobra said to Meredy, who giggled sweetly. Laxus chuckled next to them in agreement.

"Walking Taint does have a good ring to it." Makarov said, stroking his mustache again. He cracked a smile down at his children, his eyes twinkling, and continued. "But nevertheless, Lucy is free to come and go from this guild. She may not be member anymore, but she'll always be family."

The guild was deathly quiet at that announcement.

"Hey, Gramps, what do you mean that she's not a member anymore?" Laxus asked, leaning against the bar with a mug of beer in his hand.

Lucy held up her hand for the whole guild to see. "I'm no longer affiliated with this guild." She replied loud enough so that everyone could hear her.

"What the fuck? Why?" Gray called out to her, watching as she turned to him. He saw her eyes change- no longer were they the bright amber brown they were when they were apart of Team Natsu, now… her eyes were darker, richer. Like the darkest cocoa, with bits of gold dusting throughout her eyes. It was enchanting and if he wasn't currently married, he would probably still want to ravish the blond bombshell.

She grimaced. "What else was I supposed to do when we disbanded, Gray? Stay here in hopes that, maybe, one day we'd all get back together and rebuild the guild like the good old days? That we'd all get to finally have our happy endings?" She shook her head and ran a hand through her long, long hair. "I couldn't keep hoping for something I didn't think would happen. I couldn't afford to be that naive and with all that had happened…." Lucy sighed, hard. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the guild is back, but I've been away so long, I don't even know how to interact with people anymore."

"But… are you willing to try again?" Wendy asked her. Lucy looked resigned and worn down. The amount of stress she felt was almost unbearable. She wanted to sleep, but it seemed the guild had endless questions.

Was she willing to try again?

"I don't know." She replied and then looked at Wendy with sad eyes. "I don't know if I even want to."

Wendy nodded and scrunched up her face a bit in thought. "How about a deal then?" She asked, hugging Charle to her.

Lucy smirked softly at her. "What sort of deal, sweetheart?"

Wendy smiled, her dimples deepening as a mischievous expression crossed her face. "Stay at the guild for a few weeks, get to know everyone again, talk to us, party with us. If, after a few weeks, you feel like you can join the guild again, join us."

Lucy tilted her head, inquisitively. "And if I don't?"

Wendy but her lip and thought, but before she could say anything a familiar voice spoke up for her.

"If you don't, then we'll let you go." Natsu said, standing up to join his dragon sister. "You'll get to leave and we won't force you to come back… but if you choose to stay, you can't leave again, Lucy." Lucy's gaze flicked from Wendy to Natsu.

Everyone waited for her answer on a baited breath.

"Deal."

* * *

Lucy let out a long breath of air. It was morning, early morning to be exact. The air was cold and damp, dew clinging to everything as the sun just barely kissed the horizon; even it was reluctant to be up this early.

Lucy loved it though. Loved the early mornings that were quiet and peaceful and foggy.

"Lucy-sama, ten more curls and then you need to stretch again." Capricorn instructed, watching as his upside down Master curled her body upwards from where she was hanging, her chest just brushing her knees and her core muscles burning as she slowing released her breath coming back down.

Mornings like this made for perfect training days as well. No one was awake this early to bother her, or see her, or-

"Blondie, what the fuck are you doing?"

She was so done with this bullshit. Couldn't she have one normal training session without someone interrupting her?

* * *

**So... I know Lucy seems really, really out of character, but she was nit going to be the same teenage girl she was when Tartaros happened. Shit was fucked up. Her back story that I added to is fucked up, so she's not going to just forgive these guys like she does in the manga and anime. It's gojng to take time, like it does in real life. The trust is going to have to be built back up. Lucy's not a little girl anymore, she's a strong woman who is knowlegable about the world now.**

**Anyway, I hope you guys liked the chapter. Drop me some comments, suggestions, flames, the works.**

 


	6. Meditate On It

**The free bird leaps**  
**on the back of the wind**  
**and floats downstream**  
**till the current ends**  
**and dips his wings**  
**in the orange sun rays**  
**and dares to claim the sky.**

 

* * *

She didn't see him, didn't hear him and was so not going to talk to him. Not while she was upside down and her tits were trying to choke her out; sports bra her ass. She was just glad that her marks were covered by waterproof makeup.

"Are you really going to ignore me, Blondie?" Laxus as bemused.

She groaned and closed her eyes, her arms crossed over each other and over her chest. Opening her eyes, she stared at Laxus inquisitively.

“What's up, Laxus? How's it hanging?" Lucy asked, a wry smile on her face. Laxus cracked a grin at her, shaking his head.

"You know, slightly to the left." He replied, smiling fully when Lucy choked on some spit and flipped off the metal bar she was working out on, crouching on the floor as she tried to get air back in her lungs.

"You….fucker," She coughed, glaring up at him slightly.

He just smirked. "I mean, I do the fucking most of the time, yes." Lucy made a weird little noise and started laughing hard enough that she clutched her stomach.

"Goddammit...That's not...what I meant." She choked out between laughs.

"Maybe not, but it got you to talk to me, didn't it?" He replied, his arms crossed over his barrel chest as he watched Lucy's laughter die down.

Lucy stood up and cocked out a hip, resting her hand on her curved waist as she gazed fully at Laxus. He was wearing a pair of low riding grey sweats and a tight black tee. Her eyes traveled back up to meet storm blue eyes that were lit with amusement and interest.

A sudden cough broke their stares.

“Miss. Lucy- sama, you are free to meditate and stretch now," Capricorn said, respectfully bowing to her. "I'll be back in an hour or so to check your progress. Do remember to sit in the sun this time. " Lucy smiled and nodded, waving at him as he disappeared into the cosmos.

Laxus watched her curiously as she moved to a patch of grass that was slightly greener that the rest and sit down; her legs crossed under her and her arms resting lightly on her long legs. Her skin glistened under the sun and the rays lit up her hair, making it appear to be even more golden.

"So…" Laxus started, taking a seat in front of her. "You never answered my question…"

Lucy cracked open an eye and looked at him. "I'm training, Laxus. Keeping myself and my skills honed and learning new things, like I've been for the past three years." She closed her eye again and tilted her head upwards, like a sunflower reaching for the sun. Laxus hummed and watched her.

It was quick; the subtle shift in the air and the overwhelming smell of OZone caught Laxus' attention as Lucy pushed her magic outside of her body. The pressure was immense and he looked on gobsmacked as Lucy's hair was picked up away from her body, floating around her neck and frame, and her palms flipped towards the sky- each holding a ball of silver/gold energy. Her eyes flew open and Laxus could see magical seals over her eyes, gold over her already amber/brown irises. The pressure deepened again, when two balls of energy became four, then eight, then sixteen; and then they lifted from her palms and began to circle her, moving faster and faster until it looked like a ring of light was surrounding the Celestial Mage.

"Laxus, man, what the f- Holy shit, is that Cosplayer?" Bickslow asked, coming to stand behind Laxus. He was wearing tight spandex pants and a loose tee; his shoes and visor were missing. He looked wide eyed at the blonde woman.

"Yeah." Laxus answered. "Her power levels are insane. More than what I would have thought she had."

"Well, Celestial Mages are actually one of the most powerful mages in all Earthland." Freed commented as him and Evergreen joined their teammates.

Bickslow cocked an eyebrow at him. "Really?"

"Yes. They may seem weak for holder type mages, but people tend to forget that they are technically Spatial Mages, or mages that manipulate space." Freed answered with something akin to respect in his voice.

Evergreen looked mildly surprised. "Spatial Mages are extremely powerful, it's hard to believe that Celestial Mages are in that category of magic." She pushed up her glasses with her forefinger and her lips twisted in a small sneer.

Lucy pushed the sixteen balls farther from her body, cause Laxus to hop up and back away as they followed them. They slowed down enough to converge back into two balls of energy, swirling around Lucy's body like miniature binary stars. The power coming off of Lucy fluttered the grass in steady waves. Footsteps behind the group caused them to glance behind to see Cobra smirking at the Thunder Tribe.

"She's still too fucking loud." Cobra grumbled, rolling his eyes at the array of thoughts he could hear from the group.

"She's barely making any sound." Evergreen commented, earning a leering grin full of sharp teeth.

He tapped his temple and nodded towards the Celestial Mage. "Her magic, her soul, is making a lot of sound." He gestured to her hands, which were poised over the ground now, her head was tilted even further back as she soaked in the sun's rays. "She's directing her magic outside of her body and practising control by making shapes out of it. The longer she keeps it out of her body, the more her magic container craves that magic, which will essentially make her container want more magic- to curb its craving. She's helping by directing her magic into the ground, feeding the natural currents of magic that run throughout Earthland."

Freed looked at him in surprise and with avid curiosity. "How do you know all this?"

Cobra shrugged. "My sound magic doesn't really allow me to read minds, it just allows me to listen to the soul, read the actions of a person. My dragon slayer magic amplifies my senses, which is why I can hear more acutely than the above-average sound mage."

Freed nodded, stroking his chin in thought, Bickslow looked at the dragon slayer intrigued though.

"And by sitting in the sun, I'm replenishing my magic supply quicker than I would naturally." Lucy said, sighing before standing up. She stretched, her arms twining above her head as she arched her back slightly, languidly.

"Quicker how?" Ever asked. Lucy looked at her sated and smirked lazily.

"The sun is a star, therefore, provides magic through it's rays. Meditating helps open my magic containers to the rays, replenishing what I lose with more magic." Lucy answered, leaning her weight on one hip as she crossed her arms back over her chest. She looked revitalized; her skin shimmering, her hair shining gold and her eyes swimming with magic.

Laxus frowned. "Does this work at night too? With the stars at night?"

Lucy nodded. "It does, more so than the sun, because there's a more concentrated version of my magic entering me." She turned to Cobra and frowned. "Where's the Taint?"

Cobra snickered. "Sleeping, Princess, want me to wake him for you?"

Lucy just shook her head. "My revenge can wait." She looked fully around her at the group. "What are you guys doing here? I mean, Laxus I understand, he was already here, but Raijinshuu?" She cocked an eyebrow at them.

"You're not going to question Cobra?" Laxus wondered quietly.

Lucy briefly looked at the towering man. "Erik can do what he wants and I'm not on his level of insane to tell him otherwise." Cobra grinned at her cheekily.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you, Tig Bits." He replied, slinging an arm across her shoulders. Lucy looked frustrated, shrugging off his shoulders and looking pointedly at the group.

"We were following Laxus-sama, Miss. Lucy." Freed answered, cheeks flushing lightly. "We always train as a group, so we followed him and saw him talking with you." Lucy nodded her head, sucking on her teeth as she turned back to Laxus.

Tilting her head curiously. "How does a God of Ishgar train?"

* * *

  **But a bird that stalks**  
**down his narrow cage  
can seldom see through  
his bars of rage  
his wings are clipped and  
his feet are tied  
so he opens his throat to sing**

* * *

 

“So, Cosplayer..." Bickslow started, but paused when he heard Lucy groan painfully.

She looked up at him from where he was currently curling his body around a metal pole.

"It's been years, Bix. Can't you call me by my name?" She asked, pulling herself up to the next level of bars, her legs dangling as her biceps flexed, lifting her body up and over to sit twenty feet in the air.

Bickslow let his tongue loll out of his mouth as he grinned leeringly at her. "But you looked sexy in that cheerleading outfit and from what Gajeel said, you also look pretty delicious in a bunny outfit."

Lucy returned his leer. "I look delicious in a lot of things…. and delicious in absolutely nothing." A harsh coughing sound caused the two mages to turn their eyes back to the ground, where Laxus was pounding on his chest, trying to get air back in his lungs. Freed looked over at him concerned, releasing the runes over his body- the shadow armor melting from his form. Lucy shrugged, turning her attention away from the duo.

"I bet you do," Bickslow continued, sliding down his pole to be level with her. His red eyes were deep and rich, entrancing Lucy for a moment or two. "So, what's with the animosity you have towards Team Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail?"

The light mood Lucy had been sporting since her daily meditation was gone in a sudden swoop, her emotions going rampant inside of her.

She looked down and bit her lip. "Some things had happened during and after the war, okay? I needed time to deal with everything. I was on a mission to search for…. something, when Crime Sorciere and Erza found me."

"Yeah, though it was more like Titania sniffed out her lover like the bloodhound she is." Cobra called up to them. They looked down at him and he shook his head exasperated. "If you're going to be having story time, you might as well have a full audience, Princess. Now, get you ass down here and tell these fuckers what those assholes did to you."

Lucy sighed and began her descent, stopping when Bickslow dropped his large hand on her arm.

He looked at her concerned, "You don't have do tell us, if you don't want to. We won't force you to do anything."

Lucy just smiled up at him gratefully and continued moving downwards. Initially, when they resumed training, she was surprised to see how agile Bickslow was on the metal obstacle course that was, no doubt, made by Gajeel. He was graceful, tantalizing flexible, and overall beautiful as he flipped and slid and swung on the bars; his loose tee either stretching too tight across the expanse of his chest or it slipped upwards to show off his dark tan skin and toned abs that Lucy absolutely wanted to just fucking bite at.

"Gather around, children, let me tell you the tale of why I am no longer apart of Fairy Tail."

* * *

 

**The caged bird sings**  
with fearful trill  
of the things unknown  
but longed for still  
and his tune is heard  
on the distant hill  
for the caged bird  
sings of freedom

**The free bird thinks of another breeze**  
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees  
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn  
and he names the sky his own.

**But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams**  
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream  
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied  
so he opens his throat to sing

**The caged bird sings**  
with a fearful trill  
of things unknown  
but longed for still  
and his tune is heard  
on the distant hill  
for the caged bird  
sings of freedom.

* * *

**I know what you're thinking: why isn't Lucy pissed off at Cobra, Laxus and the Raijinshuu?**

**Answer is: Lucy's really only mad at Team Natsu and Makarov, though it may not seem like it with the Master. Feeling betrayed by those she though she could count on, those she held onto close in her heart.**

**Yes, they may not fully remeber what happened during Alveraz, due to natural shock and memory spells by the Celestial King, as mentioned in previous chapters, but Lucy can't help but feel this way.**

**Anyway, feel free to leave me questions and comments in the reviews. Let me know if you guys like it so far.**


	7. Raijinshuu

"As you guys most likely know...I did not have the greatest childhood- not that anyone at Fairy Tail had a good childhood," Lucy sighed and brushed a hand through her hair; she was going to have to cut it soon, she noted absently.

"But, despite what people think, being apart of the upper class isn't all jewels and dresses and balls. My childhood and teenage years were nothing like that. First and foremost, my father abhorred magic. He hid it well from my mother during their marriage, being in love with her beauty too much to care that she used magic. But… then a mage broke into our mansion. He used a type of dark magic called Necro-Astheneías; it's literal translation means Death Sickness. He could infect certain parts of the human body to literally wither and die in a matter of minutes, days, and/or months, depending on his will. Luckily, it's now a Lost Magic." Lucy had a vindictive emotion in her eyes which caused Cobra to make a small, startled noise in the back of his throat.

"Anyway, this _animal_ ," She continued, spitting out the last word with so much acidity that it caused the Raijinshuu to shift uncomfortably. They weren't used to this side of the blond woman. "Came into our mansion, while my father was away attending a trade meeting in Crocus, and proceeded to target my mother. You see, the Heartfilia line is connected to Fairy Tail's first Master, Mavis Vermillion, and this little bastard thought that the best way to get back to a guild who has no idea about us, it to _rape_ the descendant of said guild master."

Everyone, bar Lucy and Cobra- who had already heard this tale before- were horror-struck, each one in varying shades of sick.

"D-don't tell me…." Freed asked, eyes wide as he pieced together the hidden details.

Lucy nodded, eyes closing as she tried to block out the memories. "Right on the nail; I was in the room at the time. Mom and I would play dress up and stargaze on nights like these, before she would tuck me in and read me to sleep. The mage came in while I was changing in the closet." Lucy swallowed against the bile that rose in her throat, quenching the rage and utter helplessness that overtook her in that moment.

"What about the maids, the attendants, and the workers?!" Evergreen asked, slightly hysterical. "Where were they?!"

"The Heartfilia land is immense, Evergreen." Lucy replied, opening her eyes again to look at the other woman. "They had gone back to their houses for the night. Mom and I didn't require any food, nor services we couldn't do ourselves, so we let them go home for the night. My father was usually the only one who kept the servers in our mansion." Her hand was clenched tightly, knuckles going white under the pressure. A hand was laid on her shoulder and she looked up to see Bickslow smiling softly.

"What happened next?" He asked, softly and so un-Bickslow like.

Lucy sighed and then took another deep breath to continue. "He infected her kidneys. Once they shut down, everything else started to as well. She faded after opening the Eclipse Gate to allow the rest of the dragon slayers to arrive in this time safely; my father's rage against Magic reared its head again when she died and started to grow. My mother passed on her magic to me- we're actually one of the only Spatial and Holder type mages to pass on our magic through genetics- and she had given me her keys before she died, simply telling me to keep them safe. Which, I had. My father didn't know I was practicing magic until I was about thirteen, which is when he forcefully took all but one of my keys and locked them away." Lucy rubbed at her collarbone and lowered her gaze to ground in front of her.

"Aquarius, I knew, would have been livid to know that I had let my father take the keys my mother gave me to protect and lock them away. And she was. It was the first time she tried to actively drown me while summoning her." She let out a wet sounding laugh. "I got them back of course; I was small and spry and could hide well, so I stole his keys and got them back and then never performed magic inside of my home ever again. I did my schooling with private tutors and lived in fear of my father, because I knew that if he knew I had my keys, he'd have them smelted. I grew up with almost no self-esteem, no confidence, and almost crippling depression because my father saw to it that I was kept as a demure heiress who couldn't even properly mourn the loss of her mother. I was berated every day with harsh words and the occasional lashing, but it just fueled my desire to leave."

"Which you did." Laxus almost growled out. He could remember his own lashings; the scars on his back itched like hell in that moment.

Lucy nodded and wiped at her eyes, biting her lip. "Which I did. I was sixteen when I successfully escaped my prison. I made it to Fairy Tail with Natsu and from there it was a fucking roller coaster. And then, Tenrou happened and I lost everything again. My father had died before we returned and though I hated the man, I also loved him somewhere in my heart. He was my father, you know?" She looked at the group in front of her and they gave her understanding expressions. "He left the world liking magic surprisingly enough, after spending decades and decades of being repulsed by it and then completely hating it. After him, came Michelle, she was my 'cousin', but in fact she was a doll that was animated by the Neo Oraciòn Seis back when they were crazier than a bag of cats," She paused and looked at Cobra.

"Not that some of them aren't still batshit." Cobra smiled, baring his teeth at her. She shook her head and continued, turning back to Laxus and the Raijinshuu. "Anyway, long story short, they tried to sacrifice me after Tenrou to this fucking giant clock-fish and it turned out that Michelle was really a mage named Imitatia. I was saved and Michelle 'died' that is to say, she was transformed back into a doll and there were lingering effects from being trapped in the clock; one of them having an unstable magical core for a while. It's one of the reasons I did so poorly at the GMG. Normally, I can open two to three gates at a time, something that is extremely rare in Celestial Mages because of the amount of magic it takes."

Bickslow frowned. "How much magic does it take?"

"One gate summoning- especially if it's a gold gate- is equivalent to the amount of magic it takes Laxus-sama to perform his Breakdown Fist." Freed informed, stroking his chin as he tried to remember the magic statistics of Celestial Mages. Bickslow's jaw dropped a bit as he sucked in a sharp breath, Evergreen gaped and Laxus raised his eyebrows, looking at the small blond woman in front of him appraisingly.

"Well shit, Jiggles, that's some power you have." Cobra said, leering at her as he wiggled his brows at her. She pushed him back and pursed her lips.

Lucy blew her bangs out of her face. "Yeah and I didn't even unleashed the full amount of power I have today." They looked at her incredulously.

"What do you mean?" Laxus asked, looking at her intently. "I thought the goat said to use up all your magic."

Lucy nodded. "All the magic that is currently not being locked behind my limiter." She turned her head so they could see a delicate looking, gold hoop attached at the top of her ear with a small white gold star dangling from it.

"Why do you have a limiter?" Freed questioned, intrigued by the glowing piece of jewelry.

Lucy shrugged. "It goes along with what happened after Tartaros. I don't know if you guys saw me during Alvarez, but I have been taught a new form of Celestial magic called Star Dress. I'm able to channel my spirits power into my body and take on their magic. Like a combination of Mira's takeover and Erza's requip."

Evergreen furrowed her brow. "How did this happen?"

Lucy bit her lip. "Everyone was trapped in the Cube. Everyone, but me." She glanced up at them hesitantly. "The demons were attacking me and I… I was running low on magic. The last spirit I summoned was Aquarius," she rubbed at her collarbone again, not noticing the makeup coming off on her fingers and the black mark peeking out from under her fingertips. "It was a breaking point, literally. I had to choose between my oldest spirit and pseudo-mother or my guild." She looked up at them fully, unshed tears in her eyes. "Can you take a guess as to which one I chose?"

She took a shuddering breath. "Breaking a Celestial Key is not something one does. It's taboo and dangerous and next to impossible. It requires love and trust and both parties agreeing wholeheartedly and since I loved this guild so much, since this guild had become my family, I chose to break Aquarius' key and summon the Celestial King." She ignored the sounds that they made and continued. "He helped me take down Mard Geer and the rest of the demons before taking out the Cube and releasing everyone. We sealed the demons away and destroyed most of their books, except Mard who is locked away in the Celestial Realm. Everyone was free and then Master disbanded the guild. Natsu left with Happy, leaving me a note on my desk. Erza left in search of the Walking Taint and to work for the Magic Council. Gray and Juvia went off together, same with Gajeel and Levy. So, I was alone, by myself in Magnolia and I started to travel and worked in Crocus for a time."

"Then Alvarez happened and it was just another sacrifice wasn't it, with you saving Natsu and rewriting his book." Cobra added, nudging her shoulder with his.

"Rewriting his book?" Freed wondered, looking at Lucy with a frown.

"I did exactly that. Natsu was dying and I used magic and my knowledge of runes to rewrite him back to life." Lucy replied, wiping at her eyes. "When the guild got back together again, I didn't have the motivation to rejoin with everyone. At some point in my journey, Fairy Tail stopped being a family to me, it stopped being a safe place. I have so many scars in my body, so many things that haven't healed properly. I contacted Makarov and told him my decision, telling him that I was now an Independent Mage and on my own personal mission- that's when Crime Sorciere found me and here we are."

The group looked stunned, expectedly but hilariously. A sudden clapping noise startled Lucy and she looked at Laxus, who had a maniacal grin in his face, as he rubbed his hands together.

"I say Team Natsu deserve the ass kicking they're about to get." Lucy snorted at his expression before letting out gut-busting laughter.

* * *

**Fanfiction.net AN: Hey Ho, I wrote this in like an hour. Shoutout to: Creatbeautynotwar for being my soundboard. There's some exciting things about to happen in these next few chapters, so stick with me.**

**So, I also finished a NaGaLuLa fic, if you want to check it out (a little shameless promotion) If you don't know what NaGaLuLa is, it's Lucy+Laxus+Natsu+Gajeel together. It's my first PWP so please go take a look and give me feedback.**

**As always, drop me a comment or question or critique.**


	8. Let Me Out

**Look into my eyes, mama, tell me what you see**

**Tell me there's a chance for me to make it off the streets**  
**Tell me that I won't die at the hands of the police**  
**Promise me I won't outlive my nephew and my niece**  
**Promise me my pastor isn't lyin' as he preach**  
**Tell me that they'll listen if it's lessons that I teach**  
**Tell me there's a heaven in the sky where there is peace**  
**But until then, I keep my piece in arm's reach**

* * *

The next few days at the guild were uneventful. What was left of Team Natsu- meaning Gray, Erza, Natsu, and Wendy- had left on a mission and wouldn't be back until later that day and Lucy was feeling antsy. Because of her agreement with Wendy, she couldn't leave the guild for another week or so, less she break the magically binding agreement between them.

So, she sat at the bar, next to Cana, enjoying a tumbler of scotch and a book. Her glasses sat low on her face as she let herself fall into another world. Or at least tried to. There was an itch beneath her skin, like ants crawling underneath all over her body. Her muscles twitched occasionally and her jaw clenched.

She had reread the same page almost twenty time before she sighed harshly and closed her book. Grabbing her glass, she swirled the amber liquid around, watching it go round and round, before she downed the rest of it, revelling in the burning feeling as it warmed her to the core. She closed her eyes.

"You doin' alright, Bunnygirl?" A rough voice asked to the left of her. She felt her magic shift and her body light up at the deep, gravelly-ness of that voice.

Cracking open a single eye, she glanced at Gajeel. "Just restless. I can't leave the guild and I can only train so much before I am thoroughly exhausted. There's not a whole lot for me to do here." She replied, slightly exasperated. She nodded to Kinana and tapped her glass; seconds later Lucy was nursing her third scotch.

Bored amber met amused scarlet and then Gajeel's lips curled into a smirk as he watched her sip at her drink languidly.

"Well, Bunny, if your feeling up to it and not drunk off your pert ass, how about you fight me on the training grounds?"

Lucy's widened by a fraction as she snorted. "I'd rather not have to hurt your feelings." She commented, taking another sip.

"Gihi! That's funny, Bunny, but you're not the only one who's been trainin' these past couple of years." Gajeel said, his smirk widening into a grin that vaguely reminded Lucy of a shark.

Lucy returned the grin, much to Gajeel's surprise, almost baring her teeth at him, but before she could say anything, the guildhall doors burst open with the arrival of Team Natsu.

"We're home!" Natsu announced, a wide grin on his impish face. Lucy huffed and downed the rest of her scotch.

She looked back at Gajeel. "Tell you what, I'll fight Natsu and if he loses, I'll fight you."

Gajeel raised a brow. "And is he wins?"

Lucy smirked. "If we draw, you get to come with me on my mission with the Raijinshuu, Laxus, and Cobra."

Gajeel leered at her, taking in her scent and memorizing it. "So sure you won't lose." He murmured, softly smirking at her heartbeat stuttered a bit.

"I didn't survive three years in the forests of Earthland to be defeated by a fire lizard." Lucy replied just as softly, eyes glinting, before she hopped off her stool and walked over to Natsu.

Gajeel's eyes raked down her body, taking in the thickness of her hips and legs and how her shorts cupped her toned ass just fucking perfectly. How her waist cinched and flared and how her calves flexed with each step. His dragon nearly purred at the sight of such a gorgeous body and at the attitude of such a strong mage. His lips pulled into a predatory smirk as he watched her carefully.

"Natsu! You- me, fight, ten minutes on the training field." Lucy said, getting Natsu's attention easily. The fire dragon slayer just cocked a curious eyebrow at her and nodded.

"You sure you want to challenge me to a fight, Lucy?" Natsu asked, giving her a curious once over. Lucy grinned.

"I wouldn't have said anything if I wasn't sure, flamebrain." Lucy replied, turned around to head to the doors, she called over her shoulder, "Unless, it's you who isn't sure?"

* * *

**Am I passin' into the light?**

**(Am I looking into mercy's eyes?)**  
All the world is out of your hands  
(Then ascending into the dark) Another night  
You got to die a little if you wanna live  
Change coming  
You'd best be ready for it

**Something I've begun to fear is about to change its form**  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a shift in times  
But I won't get tired at all

* * *

Half the guild had followed Lucy out after that; curious as to what the Celestial Mage was going to do.

Lucy stood in the middle of the combat field, ways away from the jungle gym her and Bickslow were training on before, stretching out her muscles and warming up before she took on Natsu.

The man in question was staring at her weirdly, like he couldn't understand what she was doing. He knew, of course, what the purpose of warming up was, but he never pictured Lucy to be one to do it.

Then again… he never pictured her challenging him either.

"You ready, Lucy?" He called out to her, stripping off his vest as he faced her; a cocky smirk was plastered on his face. Lucy would have fun wiping it off.

"More than you know, Natsu." She replied back, hands on her hips. Shehad a determined glint to her eyes and her body was tensed with anticipation.

Makarov held up a hand. "Standard dueling rules apply; knockouts only, no killing or serious breaks." He looked at them and smiled. "You may begin."

Lucy got into position, her right leg forward, her left foot back, hips loose and knees bent with her arms positioned in front of her face. She narrowed her eyes at Natsu and gestured for him to come at her. He grinned wolfishly, his expression animal-like.

Fists lit with lightning flames, Natsu flew towards her, aiming her her face and the open spot on her stomach. Lucy closed her eyes for a moment and shifted to her right, feeling the air besides her shift and churn and then she felt Natsu's flames guide past her body. Opening her eyes, she lifted her left leg and kneed Natsu in the stomach, hard and below his solar plexus, effectively causing his breath to stall in his lungs and for him to collapse on the ground.

Lucy fully turned around to look at him and just barely dodged Natsu's fire ball he shot at her; bowing backwards into a backbend and flipping back onto her feet. She ducked and danced as he came at her again and again, trying to strike her with his fire.

On one particular dodge, she used his shoulder to lever herself into the air and jump off of his with practiced ease, using her momentum to call upon Capricorn's Star Dress. Light shined around her as black leather pieced itself into her body; a collar around her throat that connected to leather straps around her bust and hips via steel chains, a black and purple leather bodice followed by a long black/purple skirt that split at her hip bones to reveal the tanilizing thigh high white socks and steel toed boots. Black leather gauntlets adorned her forearms, magically infused iron knuckles sat comfortably in her hands and horns grew from her head, curling around to the back of her head as a pair of half moon glasses dropped onto her face and her hair tied itself into braids.

When she landed, Natsu could only stare at her. Lucy looked powerful and badass and holy Mavis…. Fucking edible. Lucy smirked and took advantage of his momentary stall, delivering a satisfying right hook to his face, followed by another knee jab to Natsu's face, breaking his nose and knocking him out.

He fell to the ground with a muffled thump and the crowd was silent as they stared at their once dainty Celestial Mage. Lucy was panting lightly and as she ran a hand through her hair, her Star Dress faded, leaving her in her shorts and loose crop top.

"Winner: Lucy Heartfilia!" Makarov announced, feeling proud at how his child had grown.

Gajeel gaped at the blond as she walked passed him, patting him on the chest and saying,

"Better pack now, Gajeel, we're leaving soon."

He stood amongst the cheering and jeering crowd for a moment, trying to calm his libido and his dragon as they both burned with desire for the formidable blond.

The journey ahead was going to be interesting.

* * *

**Am I passin' into the light?**  
(Am I looking into mercy's eyes?)  
All the world is out of your hands  
(Then ascending into the dark) Another night  
You got to die a little if you wanna live  
Change is coming  
You'd best be ready

**Be ready, ready for it**  
Be ready, be ready  
Ooh, ooh ooh  
(Let me out)

* * *

**I may or may not have been binging Gorillaz. Humanz and The Now Now are my life now.**


	9. Ashanti

**She came from the sun**

**Descending the clouds**

**With hair that was spun**

**-From gold-**

* * *

"So Blondie, where are we heading?" Laxus asked as they ascended a mountain peak on the farthest reach of Fiore, close to Bosco. The area was mountainous and tropical, but calm and required climbing skills that some of the Raijinshuu didn't necessarily have.

Lucy, who was holding onto a rock ledge, looked down at them. The setting sun was still beating down on them, causing her tan shirt to stick to her skin uncomfortably; droplets of sweat ran down her sun kissed face.

"There's an indigenous tribe just over this lip, it'll be a good place to stop for the night." Lucy replied, moving her foot into another hold as she pushed herself upwards, grabbing ahold of another little ledge.

"And they'll just let us in?" Gajeel asked, trying to focus on climbing and not the glorious ass in front of him.

"Luckily, I've stopped here before and the village knows me," She smirked and looked down at them. "Otherwise, we wouldn't even be climbing this rock face now."

Cobra snorted in surprise as images flashed through his mind.

"What do you mean, we wouldn't be here!?" Evergreen asked, clearly tired from the climb and the sun.

Cobra leered darkly. "The tribe is magical. They apparently specialize in stealth magic and they're good too. They've been watching us since we began." The group, bar Lucy and Cobra, looked around, confused when they didn't see anything.

"Abaphambukayo baya kufa ngenxa yesizwe sakwa-Ashanti!" A deep voice called to them from above; the words followed with tongue clicks and a threatening sense to it. It was followed by bird crees and loud huffing sounds all in agreement to the speaker.

The group looked around them worried and anxious; they still couldn't see anybody and from the tone of voice of the speaker, they were not pleased with the group.

Lucy glanced at them before smiling bemused. She turned and faced upward and called out, "Ukuba ngcono kungabi yingozi, Myndys! Ndiyazi ukuba undibona!" Chitters and howls of laughter came after her, leaving her entourage feeling both left out and confused.

"That's a dialect of Sevenian is it not, Miss. Lucy?" Freed asked, trying to decipher the language she spoke and spoke fluently.

Lucy nodded. "We're at a three way essentially. Bosco to our right, Seven to out left and Fiore behind us. The Ashanti tribe is a 'crossbreed', for a lack of a better word- they have a mixed Sevenian dialect." She answered quickly, trying to listen to the tribe talking.

"Ndandihleka, Lucy, ndololile kwaye ndize ndivele! Ndifunga, uhamba kancane kunomakhulu," Myndys replied and something shifted in the air; the silhouette of a long body appeared at the top of the ledge, a spear in hand.

"Oh, I'm so kicking his ass." Lucy muttered as she began climbing with renewed energy. The rest followed after her, trying to keep up with her impressive pace.

When they reached the top, they saw a rather large group made up tall, barely clad people. They had extremely dark skin, almost the color of the night sky, cropped curled hair that was either in a colorful wrap or headdress or simply uncovered. They all bore marks made of white clay and scars littered their bodies. The women wore multiple beaded necklaces that decorated their bodies, their skirts were made of colorful silks and tan hides of animals, their breasts bare. The men had loincloths and also wore necklaces made mainly of bone and held spears as long as their bodies tipped with a variety of materials. They busied around their camp, getting ready for dinner and settling down for the night.

Lucy grinned when she saw them, letting out a crow of delight as she tackled the nearest man to the ground; he was young, but almost as tall as Laxus- which was a feat all in it's own- with a body full of lean tone muscle. Lucy had him in a headlock with her legs wrapped around his chest, pinning his arms to his sides.

"I'm slow, eh, Myndys? Who's slow now?" Lucy grunted, grinning wolfishly at the young man.

"Alright, alright, I give, I give!" Myndys replied, his voice rich and smooth and musical. Lucy laughed and let him up, accepting his hand when he offered. They embraced briefly, smiling at each other.

Looping an arm around her shoulder, Myndys turned to her group, eyeing them curiously.

"You brought people with you this time, eh?" He asked, nodding his head towards the group.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "These are my former guild mates. The Raijinshuu-Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow,"

"You have dragons as well?" Myndys questioned, looking over the last three mages with curiosity.

"Dragon Slayers," Lucy replied. "This is Laxus Dreyar, Lightning Dragon Slayer, Cobra, Poison Dragon Slayer, and Gajeel Redfox, Iron Dragon Slayer." Myndys nodded at them, excited at the prospect of meeting a dragon slayer.

"And who's this, Cosplayer." Bickslow asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Myndys stepped forward and crossed his right arm over his chest and bowed slightly at them, keeping eye contact with them as he bowed.

"My born name is Myndys, of the Ashanti tribe, but my mage name is Pharos." He introduced, standing back up straight.

Freed frowned in thought. "Mage name?"

Lucy smiled softly. "The Ashanti tribe is…. special. They're one of the most unique mage clans I've come across. Their born name is the name their parents gift them with, but their Mage name is the name the Matrem of the tribe gives them. The Ashantis are skinwalkers and are able to shape change into the animal that best represents them as a whole." She looked at Myndys and practically beamed. "Myndys here is a Roc, one of the biggest raptors in Earthland."

"That's a rare magic to have and even more rare for it to be so specialized in a tribe." Evergreen commented.

"How does shape changing have anything to do with stealth magic?" Gajeel asked, glowering at Myndys as the boy put his arm around Lucy's shoulder again.

Myndys opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, one of the tribesmen called over to him, saying something in their language that nobody but Lucy and Myndys could understand. The boy shouted something back and turned to the group.

"Dinner is ready, how about I answer you questions during the meal?"

* * *

**She shrouds**

**The Earth in her glorious sight,**

**There is a certain might**

**A bite**

**That comes from being near**

**Something too hot.**

* * *

"So, Lucy, how come you never told us you could speak Sevenian?" Evergreen asked, as she dug into some sort of mashed tubular and vegetables. It was frankly delicious and filling.

Lucy, who had taken a bit of goat meat, hummed and tapped her fork against her lips. "I speak several languages, Evergreen. All three dialects of Sevenian, the eight dialects of Bosco, two dialects of Ocari, the language of Iscaris- which is mainly spoken in Stellar, I also know about four dead languages, including Leolus and Tetranos. I'm proficient enough in a couple more though." She looked at them and almost chuckled at their expressions.

Freed was especially godsmaked. "You know more languages than Levy and I combined."

Lucy smirked and shrugged nonchalantly. "My father made sure I knew the languages of the people we were doing business with. You guys forget, I'm an heiress, which means I grew up having tutors that taught me the basics of what I know about Earthland. The languages, the cultures, the places and the lifestyles of every continent. It was drilled into my head continuously."

"That's kinda amazing and depressing at the same time." Bickslow commented.

Cobra snorted. "You don't even know the half of it." He said, shaking his head as he took a drink of the liquor the tribe had made. It was spiced and had a wicked kick at the end, almost like someone had taben spiced wine and mixed it with tequila. Cobra loved it.

"How"d you even find the Ashantis anyway, Bunny?" Gajeel rumbled out, wiping his meat greased fingers on his pants.

Lucy swallowed her mouthful of food and said, "They actually found me. Apparently, one should not go three days without water and I was going on five."

Laxus raised an eyebrow. "What about your spirits?"

Lucy grimaced. "This was during a period of time where I wasn't calling them out and blocking the ones who could use their own magic to open their gates from coming out. I wanted to grieve alone, so I was alone and I regret being alone at that time cause I almost died several times."

"And they essentially saved you?" Freed asked, his tone light and inquiring. Lucy nodded.

"They did, it was during my first year after the war. I ran out of water and food and was one my way to Bosco. I ended up collapsing one of the Ashantis camping grounds and the Matrem found me and healed me. They took me in and let me stay." Lucy set her bowl to the side and finished her drink, letting the alcohol warm her from the inside out.

"It was nice, calm, you know. Travelling with them helped me a lot, it also showed me what a family could look like." Lucy stared into the large fire the tribe had going in the middle of camp.

The group has silent, the conversation trailing off into companionable silence. Gajeel shifted closer to Lucy watching how the fire lit up her golden hair and shadows danced across her skin, out of the corner of his eye. Cobra hid a smirk at the sight and snorted softly at the sound of Gajeel's soul. He, himself, was fairly attracted to Lucy, mainly her wittiness and soothing soul, but it was a passing attraction; his dragon happened to be purring for a beauty of a different gender.

Suddenly, the sound of music brought everyone out of their reverie and they looked around at the Ashantis as they parted to make way for a small, old woman. She was stooped over, beaded necklaces clinking together as she walked, leaning on a tall, gnarled staff. Her skirt and shall were a dark, rich indigo and her body and face were covered in runic markings made with white clay. She had a tall, feathered headdress with antlers attached on either side of her head.

She stopped in front of the fire and in front of Lucy and her group. She looked over them, thoughtful, and began to speak:

"Namuhla usuku lokugubha! ingane yethu, Lucy, ibuyele emuva, intsha yethu emihlanu ijoyine ama-Ashanti Warriors futhi uNdodanakazi usisibusise ngedili elikhulu! Asidumise futhi sihlabelele ekugubheni nasekudumiseni!" The old woman lifted her staff and the people around her jeered and howled in excitement as the music picked up and people began dancing around the fire.

"What did she say?" Laxus asked, watching as the tribesmen and women threw their limbs around in an intricate looking dance.

"They're celebrating. They had a good feast and gained new warriors." Lucy answered, clapping along with the beat of the drums. Gajeel looked over to her.

"She said you name too." He said to her quietly.

She met his eyes and smiled softly. "They're also celebrating my return, kind of like the guild does when one of their own comes back."

Gajeel frowned at her melancholic tone, but before he could say anything, one of the women pulled Lucy to her feet; the blond just laughed and followed, dancing just as gracefully as the tribes people. Soon, the others were also pulled into the dance, stumbling after their leads as they tried to learn the dance. Gajeel couldn't help but stare at Lucy from where he was reclining on the ground; she looked wild, her chest heaving, her limbs curving and hips thrusting, her head thrown back in laughter or elation. She was beautiful.

* * *

**The heat, the warmth, the brightness of she,**

**Aught to warm you, remind you...**

**That even though she is of a beautiful hue,**

**She came from the Sun,**

**Leave her be,**

**And do not pursue.**

* * *

*Tresspassers shall die by order of the Ashanti clan! (Or something like that)

**You better not be threatening me, Myndys! I know you can see me.

***Get up here alredy! You’re slower than my grandmother!

****Tonight is a night of celebration! One of our own, Lucy, has returned, five young men join the rank of an Ashanti Warrior, and our goddess has blessed us with a bountiful/pleantiful feast! Let us dance and praise our thanks! (Or something like that)

The Ashanti tribe is based off of several African tribes and some Native American tribes. I always love learning about new cultures and things and have been researching Africa as of late. The languages spoken were mostly Zulu, but I believe that Xhosa is also thrown in there.

Anyway, now we are starting our main arc. I know it seems kinda weird switching abruptly from 'Lucy at the guild' to 'Lucy traveling' but I'll have some flashbacks and explanations as we go along. I really, really wanted this chapter to happen as soon as it could, to give insight on what Lucy did on those three years she was gone.


	10. Bosco

_We were entwined in red rings_

_Of blood and loneliness before_

_The first snows fell_

_Before muddy rivers seeded clouds_

_Above a virgin forest, and_

_Men ran naked, blue and black_

_Skinned into the warm embraces_

_Of Sheba, Eve and Lilith._

_I was your sister._

* * *

" _So, what brings you to our camp, my daughter_?" Matrem Mbatha asked Lucy as she packed her long wooden pipe with herbs. They were in her private tents, having finished with the festivities and prayers.

Mbatha put the pipe in her mouth and lit it, taking a long inhale of the smoke before letting it out towards the top of her tent; it spiraled and danced out the top. She glanced at Lucy in expectation as she handed the pipe over to the blond.

Lucy took it and repeated Mbatha's actions, letting the smoke drift over her vision and out into the night sky. It burned in her throat, her lungs, but it cleared her head.

" _I'm looking for Aquarius._ "

The single four word sentence stilled the air and cause Mbatha to look at her with a serious expression.

" _We have not seen the Water-Bearer, but there were whisperings from other tribes,_ " Mbatha inhaled from the pipe again and continued, "T _here's a strange, unnatural storm passing through the continents. It's unforgiving, causing floods wherever it goes and sweeping people into it's torrential waters."_

Lucy felt her eyes widen. " _That sounds like Aquarius. She always did hate most people._ " Mbatha let out a laugh.

" _So would I, dear. Celestials aren't treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. They are a millenium older than us, wiser and sometimes, more powerful, and yet, most mages treat them as if they are the ground they walk on. They're neglected in most cases, even the lower gate keys_." Mbatha huffed and smoke filtered out her nose, making her look like an angry dragon. Lucy giggled at the image.

 _"That's why I love my friends with all my heart, because I know that they are always going to be family to me and always have my back- so long as I treat them with respect."_  Lucy commented, smiling at her friend.

Mbatha gave her a wry smile in return. " _You are a special one, my dear."_  Her wryness turned into mischievousness and she leaned towards the blonde woman. " _Now, tell me about those dragonkin of yours."_

* * *

_You left me to force strangers_

_Into brother molds, exacting_

_Taxations they never_

_Owed or could ever pay._

_You fought to die, thinking_

_In destruction lies the seed_

_Of birth. You may be right._

* * *

"I'm surprised we haven't passed out from the amount of hormones you put out in the last hour, Gajeel." Cobra commented, looking sideways at the Iron Slayer.

Gajeel whipped around and glared at him. "Shut your face, you Bleached Asshole, you don't know what you're talking about."

Laxus snorted. "So, you aren't interested in Blondie?"

Gajeel grit his teeth. "I'm interested, but I doubt she is. Bunny isn't just someone I can lay claim to, alright? She's not an ordinary mate, she'd kill me if I tried to be all possessive and shit."

Bickslow leered at him. "Ain't that the truth. She'd hang you up by the balls in front of the whole guild if you tried to pull that shit. But, I think she's more interested than she's letting on."

"Yes, I too, believe that Miss Lucy is rather infatuated with you, Gajeel." Freed added, flipping through a large tome.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "Infatuated, really?" He snorted. "I doubt that. Plus, she's probably with someone already and I'm not about to come between them, not matter how much I want her for myself. I can wait."

It was Cobra this time who snorted. "That's a fresh baked lie right there. If you don't, then your dragon certainly will take her as a mate. Sooner or later, your instincts will overcome you and you won't be able to fight it off."

Gajeel sighed. "Then what do you suggest I do? Go up to her and say, "Hey, Bunny, I really fucking like you and want to date the shit out of you, and oh yeah, if you say no, my dragon may or may not take over and try to force itself on you?" No, I'd rather just leave the party if it comes down to that."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't put it that way." Evergreen butted in. "I would just try to get to know the new Lucy. Understand her and share things with her, but do it slowly. One moment at a time is all you need."

Gajeel sighed again and looked up at the stars.  _One moment at a time, huh? I think I can do that._

* * *

_I will remember silent walks in_

_Southern woods and long talks_

_In low voices_

_Shielding meaning from the big ears_

_Of overcurious adults._

* * *

The next day, the group left the Ashanti and headed into Bosco with Bickslow taking the lead, as a native Bosconian. Mbatha told the group that they should meet up with the silk traders in the city of Angora, see if they've run into the ' _traveling hurricane_ '.

"So, why the silk traders?" Evergreen asked as she adjusted her scarf around her mouth. The desert sands were scorching and the wind blew the gritty material onto the group.

"Silk merchants are one of the biggest gossips in Earthland. They travel and pick up information and for the right price, that information could be yours too." Lucy replied, shrugging her backpack further onto her shoulders. The sun in this region of Earthland was unforgiving and the sunburn that she and a couple others, were proof of that.

"And, how much is the 'right price'?" Freed asked, coming up besides the blonde. His cheeks were red and peeling and there was a light freckling across the bridge of his nose.

Lucy shrugged. "It depends on the vendor. Some will want secrets, some will want coin, and others will want a favor, either sexual or a boon." She replied, nonchalantly. She could see the edge of the city now; big sandstone walls and wooden gates, with guards posted above.

"Most will want sex, though." Bickslow continued. "Angora is pretty much the capital of Bosco and it's filled with every man and woman's wildest dreams."

"Know this from experience?" Cobra leered, his fangs glinting in the sunlight. Bickslow smirked back at him.

"Every Bosconian does. We don't give two fucks about gender, but physical and emotion pleasure is something that we are masters of. You'll find that most Bosconians are in triads or even quads, even the brothels here are orgy filled heavens." He leered back, pleased by the flash of a familiar emotion he saw in Cobra's soul.

"Sounds…. Adventurous." Evergreen said, a flush in her cheeks.

"It is." Lucy agreed, ignoring the looks she could feel on her.

"Well, well, looks like Cheerleader has a few dark secrets, hmm?" Bickslow chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Lucy just shrugged him off and fell into step with Gajeel.

"Of course, you perv, I'm not a sweet little flower waiting for the right man to come and take me." She answered.

Gajeel snorted. "You're more a flower than you know, Bunny, just not a pansy ass." Lucy looked at him curiously and gestured for him to continue. "You're more like belladonna, a gorgeous flower, but incredibly poisonous. You lure people in and then strike when they least expect it. You're pretty deadly, Bunny."

Lucy smiled and bumped her shoulder into his. "Thanks, Gaj, you're not too bad yourself." She turned to the group. "By the way, should I die on this journey, Gajeel's in charge of my headstone. I don't trust you motherfuckers to not put something fucked up on it." Laxus shook his head as Cobra and Bickslow burst out laughing and Evergreen and Freed turned slightly horrified at the prospect of Lucy dying. Gajeel just suppressed a shudder and faked a chuckle.

He didn't want to imagine her dying. Looking at her, he smiled softly and nodded to himself.

She was deadly, but beautiful.

* * *

_You may be right._

_Your slow return from_

_Regions of terror and bloody_

_Screams, races my heart._

_I hear again the laughter_

_Of children and see fireflies_

_Bursting tiny explosions in_

__An Arkansas twilight._ _

* * *

**Angora is a type of textile and I thought it was funny because they're going to meet up with silk traders.**

**For those of you who will comment on Gajeel's obvious Non-Gajeel-ness, just listen: he's a grown ass adult. He's not a brash teenager anymore, he's a grown ass man that's been through a shit ton of fucked up shit. He's had to deal with shit, just like everyone else and he's grown from it. He's not going to act all "Lucy mine, let's fuck Lucy" because in real life, it's not just about the fucking. He isn't some bad boy who's also a- ugh I even hate say it- 'Player', he's, again, a grown man who knows what he wants and is willing to woo (cough, stealth date, cough) Lucy. And yes, spoiler alert for those of you who haven't guessed it, it's GaLu for this story.**

**And that's not to say that Gajeel has never been with anyone. He has been with a lot of people, but that's not who he is in this moment of life.**

**And yes, le gasp, Lucy is not a virgin. She's a grown ass woman. She gets to have sex. She gets to have as much sex with as many people as she wants because she wants to, so please do not slut shame in my comment section please.**

**Yes, this author is very sex positive- reference A Night She Won't Forget (FF.net)  for examples.**

**Hi, college is hard. I love my followers, reviewers, favoriters, and viewers**


	11. Bosco pt. 2

Angora was a bustling merchant city. Walls of sandstone surrounded the city and big, heavy, iron doors protected it from outsiders trying to get in. Guards were posted at the top of the wall; mages who usually were usually looking for a steady job. It blended in well against the desert around it, the only thing distinguishing it was the marbled stones and silk flags decorating the outside of the city.

Lucy smiled, panting from the sun, as they reached the doors. "Fucking finally." She said, un-slinging her backpack from her back, taking out the water that was inside.

"Are we here?" Evergreen asked, just as winded.

Bickslow looked up, shielding his eyes with his hand. "Yeah, we're here. Welcome to Angora, guys."

"Snehituḍā lēka śatruvā?!" A voice yelled down to them. Lucy looked up to see the guards looking down on them.

"Snēhituni!" She yelled back, standing up from her crouched position.

"Pheyirī tōka nuṇḍi san̄jñalu!" Bickslow added, throwing a cursory glance at Lucy. She grimaced but nodded at him.

"Mīru ā agni māj lēdu... Sālamaṇḍar, mīru cēstārā?" One of the guards asked, sheepishly. Lucy snorted and shouldered her bag.

"Iḍiyaṭ tirigi phiyōrlō undi. Mēmu vāṇijyāniki mariyu konaḍāniki ikkaḍa unnāmu, iṅkēmī lēdu, ēdī takkuva kādu." Lucy replied calmly.

The two guards looked at each other, before looking back at them. "Mējik gurin̄ci caṭṭālu mīku telusā? Alāgē jarimānālu?"

Bickslow nodded. "Nēnu cēstānu. Vāru caṭṭālanu vicchinnaṁ cēyaḍāniki ēmī cēyaru."

The guards stood back up and shouted something behind them. Seconds later, the doors creaked and heaved as they opened.

"That's it?" Freed questioned, looking at Lucy and Bickslow with a puzzled expression. Lucy looked back at him with an unreadable look.

"Pretty much. People here are pretty laid back, plus not many outsiders know the dialects of Bosco. We told them what they wanted to know. It's pretty straightforward here." Lucy replied, as they entered the city.

Stalls upon stalls lined the streets; vendors shouted out deals and people bustled from one place to another. Somewhere off to the right, a group of bards were playing, making the city come to life.

Lucy took a deep breath of the air and smiled. It wasn't fresh by any means, but it was familiar and welcome and warm. She turned to her group and said,

"Alright, from here out, we need to split up. Don't start with the silk traders, there's no point right now, seeing as it's pretty early in the day. So, this is the time to get supplies and do a little digging on Angora, find out a little more about the city and its residents." The group nodded at her, all with varying degrees of determination.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm definitely looking for better clothes. Maybe they have a magic vendor here as well." Evergreen said, fanning herself. "I'll go with Laxus."

Laxus groaned. "The last time, you took me shopping I had to carry everything. I'm limiting whatever you buy, Ever." He looked around. "Freed, you want to come with us?"

The green haired mage practically melted. "Of course I'll come with you, Laxus-sama." The trio nodded at the before taking off.

Lucy snorted softly and clicked her tongue. "Alright, that leaves Cobra and Gajeel." She looked at the two of them questioningly.

Cobra rolled his eyes. "Sorry, Sugar Tits, I'm going with Soul Eater over here."

Lucy huffed.  _Cobra, you ass._

"And a fantastic one I have, Babes. Have fun with the Iron Stud Muffin, I'm getting something to eat." He said, waving her off as he dragged Bickslow off to a far off stall.

Lucy glanced at Gajeel and looked him up and down. "Come on, Stud Muffin, let's get to exploring." She said, holding out her hand.

Gajeel let out an amused sound and uncrossed his arms, slipping his gloved hand into hers and holding on tight.

"Where to first, Bunny?"

* * *

Gajeel couldn't get over Angora; the place was like a cliche desert paradise and he could now see why Mbatha sent them here. Because if you wanted to, you could hide something here for years before someone would find it. And the people here, almost all of them seemed to have a hidden agenda; the secrets they whispered to each other, the ones that he could only just pick out.

"You're listening to them, aren't you?" Lucy asked him, quietly as they made their way over to a fruit vendor.

Gajeel nodded. "Yeah, Mbatha was right. This is like a hub for information on anything."

Lucy smiled at that and squeezed his hand. "Almost anything, but I know what you mean. Angora is a good place to lay low in."

Gajeel turned to look at her and cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? Know about laying low, do you? Just what has the little Bunny been getting herself into, hmm?" He leered, smirking at her when she chuckled and flushed pink.

"Let's just say that the Knights... have nothing on Bosco's sellswords. Angora was my refuge for a good three weeks while I waited them out." She replied, glancing at him a bit sheepishly.

Gajeel laughed quietly and shook his head. "You'll have to tell me more about it sometime."

Lucy gave him a sly smile. "Maybe I will. In the meantime, let's grab some fruit and hit the brothels. It's about time to get to actual business."

"Brothels? I thought we were going to talk to silk traders?" Gajeel asked, puzzled.

"We are. They also happen to sell the silk too." Lucy replied matter-of-factly. Gajeel huffed and rolled his eyes at her.

"That is such a cliche, it's not even funny." He replied, bumping his shoulder into her's and grabbing a handful of mangoes.

The brothel that they went to was unlike anything Gajeel had seen. He had been to whorehouses before, but this…. This was a pleasure palace compared to those. Sheer, colorful curtains hung and lined the walls and ceilings, obscuring booths and tables from view. Scantily clad women and men served and danced and entertained clients, while bards played in the background; the smell of cooking meats- warm and savory- lust, sex and sandalwood perfumed the air, making Gajeel's nose itch. The place was lavish.

"Lūsī! Nā cinna liṅks, mīru tirigi vaccāru!" A voice called out to them.

An older woman, with long, curling dark hair, golden skin and unnatural green eyes came up to them. She was wrapped in cerulean layered sheer fabric and silk; her toned stomach, calves and ankles, arms and back glittered with sweat and oil and she smelled intoxicating.

"Carina," Lucy greeted her, smiling when she was brought into an embrace. Carina pulled back and cupped her face, pressing a kiss to her lips.

Gajeel could feel his eyes widen and his dragon prowling and growling beneath the surface. He coughed and looked away.

Lucy pulled back from Carina and glanced at him. "Sorry about that Gajeel. Carina is a former partner of mine when I stayed here."

Gajeel just nodded. "Yeah, I can see that." He said, his voice a bit strained.

Carina stalked closer to him and circled his persona. "Well, well, Lucy," She began, her voice heavily accented as she spoke Fiorian. "What a snack you've brought into my place of worship."

Lucy snorted. "Not for playing with, Carina." The brunette looked forlorn at her.

"But he's delicious looking, My Lynx. Are you sure we can't share him? It's been so long since we last shared somebody. I believe Felix was the one, was he not?" She pondered, looking at Lucy with a wry expression.

"I heard my name," A man said, walking over to them. He did a double take as he looked at Lucy. "Lucy Heartfilia! Woman, you get more gorgeous every time I see you."

The man had long, red hair, dark gold skin, and bright amber eyes. He had an elaborate silk wrap around his waist and golden arm bands around his biceps; a large tribal tattoo of a bird decorated his back, reaching all the way down to the dimples above his ass.

"Felix," Lucy replied, shaking her head at the man and accepting a kiss on the cheek from him. "You get…. Hornier every time I see you."

Gajeel rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, huffing as he watched them.

Felix winked at her. "Always, babe." He looked at Gajeel and a smirk appeared on his lips. "W-"

Lucy held up a hand. "Nuh-uh, Felix. Like I told Carina, not for playing with. We're here for a reason, you two."

Carina eyed her curiously. "A tea spilling session, is it?" She asked, leaning her frame into Felix, who wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Tea spilling?" Gajeel asked, frowning at them. Lucy nudged him gently as she nodded at Carina.

"Yeah, though, we need to use one of the back rooms for this." She replied. Felix and Carina looked at each other and then at Lucy, surprise written on their faces.

"This is serious then." Felix said, with a determined expression. "Well, let's get to it then."

* * *

* * *

***Friend or Foe?**

****Friend!**

*****Mages from Fairy Tail!**

******The fire mage.. Salamander isn't with you, is he?**

*******The idiots back in Fiore. We're just here to trade and buy, nothing more and nothing less.**

********You know the laws regarding magic? The penalties too?**

*********I do. They won't do anything to break the laws.**

**********Lucy! My little lynx, you're back!**


	12. Bosco pt. 3

"So, you're looking for information regarding a key?" Carina asked, leaning back against the plush velvet seat, her legs crossed over one another. The sheer skirt that she moved with her, sliding up to reveal even more of her luscious thighs. Felix sat next to her, stretching out on the rest of the love seat, his legs bent invitingly; he set up a hookah and handed it to Carina.

"Do you remember when I came here?" Lucy asked, sitting down next to Gajeel on the other loveseat. Gajeel flared his nostrils as Carina blew smoke in his direction.

Felix smiled. "You walked into this pleasure palace like a lion and walked out of here like a dragon- no pun intended." He winked at Gajeel, who snorted and took the offered mouth piece from Carina.

"But, you were broken." Carina stated, green eyes unnaturally sharp as they focused on Lucy.

The blond woman nodded. "It's about Aquarius."

Carina raised an eyebrow. "The Water Bearer?" She leaned in, looking at her former lover with a serious expression. "Lucy ... he aha tenei?"

Lucy took off her backpack and stripped off her shirt revealing the stark black tattoo that curled around her collarbones. Felix and Carina looked at each other and then at her.

"That wasn't there the last time we saw you, babes." Felix said, moving over to her. He brushed against the mark lightly and smiled at her wryly. Gajeel's lips twisted slightly at the gesture.

Lucy nodded and put her shirt back on. "I know. It showed up a couple of months ago and hasn't gone away. There's nothing about it in any of the Celestial books I own, nor any mention in any of the books I've come across. So there's only two people I can ask: Aquarius herself, or… The Spirit King- and I'm not going through with that again."

"Then why come to us?" Carina asked, leaning back in her seat, a frown distorting her face. "We don't really dabble in magic anymore."

Gajeel handed the hookah to Felix. "We came because there was a rumor going around that Aquarius, or at least a mage with the same magic as her, was seen in this part of Bosco."

Felix nodded. "I did hear from one of my clients that they had experienced a wicked storm on their way here, but they were from Stellar. I don't know how far away it was, but they mentioned that it was pretty close to here- outside of city limits."

"Did they say whether or not this storm felt different from any other storm? More magical, at all?" Lucy asked, her voice edging on a desperate tone. Gajeel shifted closer, his hand grazing her clenched ones; the action did not go unobserved by the two masters across from them.

Felix nodded. "They said it was a strange storm; very violent and untamed for this region and it quite literally appeared out of nowhere. Nothing was normal about it." Lucy was practically vibrating as she listened to the redhead. This was the closest she had gotten to her oldest friend.

* * *

Lucy was beaming as Gajeel and her walked towards the rest of their group; they were by an elaborately carved fountain, sitting on the edge with food in their hands. Evergreen waved at them when they came into view.

"Lucy, I bought you some clothes for you to wear. I know that you ;pve those shorts, but they're rather…." She drifted off as she gestured to the destroyed khaki shots that Lucy was wearing. Lucy just chuckled and accepted the bag from the older woman.

"Thank you, Evergreen." Lucy replied.

"You seem to be in higher spirits, Sugar-Snatch." Cobra commented, picking at the dirt underneath his fingernails. His eye met hers and he could tell that some weight had been lifted from her shoulder.

"I'm going to ignore you for the moment in favor of what I just learned." Lucy said, pulling out the soft cotton pants that Evergreen had bought for her.

"Well, are you gonna tell us, Blondie, or are we going to wait for you to stop ogling clothes?" Laxus removing his soundpods from his ears.

Lucy snorted and looked at them. "The storm was seen outside of this city, heading East towards Stella."

"Stella?" Bickslow asked, perking up a bit. Cobra cocked an eyebrow at him, intrigue in his eye as he stared at the Seeth Mage.

"You've been there, Soul Eater?" Cobra asked, leaning back on his hands.

Bickslow shrugged. "Yeah, it's gorgeous and the library in the capital is amazing."

Lucy hummed. "If you want to know something about anything, Stella is the place to be. I spent a lot a years there for schooling as well as when I was gone. It might be where Aquarius is heading, especially since there are a lot of Spatial Mages there."

"Well, what we waiting for then?" Gajeel asked, looking at Lucy. His red eyes seemed to burn into her, all dark and attentive with a familiar emotion. She felt herself flush lightly under his gaze.

* * *

"So you talked with some of her former partners?" Evergreen asked, as they set up camp for the night. They were outside the city limits, on top of a hill in a forested area; Lucy, Laxus, and Bickslow having gone out to get firewood and hunt down some dinner.

Gajeel rolled out his sleeping bag and nodded. "Yeah, Felix and Carina, former mages turned paramours."

"And?" Cobra asked, sitting down on his designated bag. "You knew that she had partners. What's got your manties in a twist?" Gajeel chucked a stone at him, which hit him in the forehead, and sat back.

"I don't know. I mean, I know that she had a past before me and that I'm not even her mate yet, but… It's difficult to wrangle in my dragon when it comes to her. All I wanted to do when I was there was tell them to fuck off and wrap her up and fucking get out of there with her."

"You didn't toss her over your shoulder did you?" Ever asked, looking slightly concerned at the Iron DragonSlayer. An incredulous look passed over Gajeel's face.

"Hell no, I'm not looking to get throat punched by her." He said, huffing at the idea. "I'm just conflicted, because I want her as my mate so badly, but I don't want to freak her the fuck out with how possessive I will get if she accepts me."

Cobra, who was still rubbing his head, grimaced. "All you can do right now, though, is wait for her."

Gajeel huffed again and lowered his eyes to his hands. "I know, but waiting is the worst part."

He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and looked up into warm brown eyes. "It always is."

* * *

Laxus was silent as he fell into step with Lucy. He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes and watched as she picked up sticks and packed them into her bag- courtesy of Virgo. He could see why Gajeel would want her as a mate. She was strong in every sense of the word, and sweet, but she also matched with the black haired man's speed- his way of thinking and doing things. Hell, if he felt anything for her, other than a kin bond, then he'd be vying for her attention as well as getting into fights with the other slayer.

"Do I have something on my face?" She asked, lifting her head to look at the other blonde.

Laxus shook his head from his thoughts. "How much do you know about Dragonslayers, Lucy?"


	13. Stella

_**Dear Universe** _

_**In my last moments** _

_**When my core in heating** _

_**And your bitter coldness torments** _

_**I think upon my existence; Bright and Wondrous.** _

* * *

_Calabash_ \- the capital of Stella- was filled with marble and precious stones. Towers were erected with intricate designs and inlaid with gold and silver, and decorated with jade and crystal gems. The streets were clean and made of white stone and the people bustled past each other with a sort of peaceful ease.

"This is… I can't even put into words how gorgeous the architecture is here." Evergreen said, stared at a building whose inlays were of ruby and emeralds, making it look as if a rose vine was crawling up the side of the marble walls.

"Stella is one of my favorite countries, and not because of the Spacial Mages that reside here." Lucy replied, as they walked through the city. "Stella has a lot of ambient magic, a lot of history, and has possibly the biggest information center in the known parts of Earthland."

"Is that where we're going now?" Laxus asked, taking off his soundpods.

"No," Lucy commented, shrugging her backpack farther up onto her back. "We're actually going to my home."

The group stopped at that. Lucy, not feeling her group behind or besides her, turned around to look at their surprised expressions.

"Home?!" Lucy chuckled at their expressions and gave them a sly smirk.

Her house, as it turned out, was a very modest size for only one occupant. It had colorful stones on the walls and floor, that shifted from gold to blue to purple and ones that looked like the sea and some that looked like it had fire or nebula trapped inside.

"Your house is quite literally a work of art. Lucy-san." Freed commented, lightly touching the fire agate that made up her door.

Lucy smiled at him and bowed her head. "Thank you, Freed. It was actually a really wonderful find and affordable too."

"What are the fancy rocks for though, Cosplayer?" Bixlow asked, looking curiously around at the tidy living room with its bookshelves that reached the ceiling and comfortable looking dark brown couch; he immediately threw his body on it and sighed as he sunk down into he cushions.

Lucy watched him, amused. "The stones in my house, along with those you saw in the city, are magic conductors. They help Spacial Mages control their magic better as well as help focus them when meditating. Each stones has a different use, like the black tourmaline at my door is used to protect from negative influences. I can activate it using my magic which then uses its properties to keep my home safe. I have several stones in and one my property that do the same thing."

"What about the cinnabar that's all over the place?" Gajeel asked, placing a hand on a column and running his hand over a red mercury stones. Lucy raised an eyebrow and gave him a small smile as he jumped back and stared at the stone in wonder.

"It's basically a battery for magic. It can also be used for focusing and alchemy." Lucy answered, moving over to the stairs.

"Alchemy?" Freed asked, looking like child on Christmas morning. "I've always wanted to learn alchemy."

Lucy chuckled as she continued up the stairs. "I have a few books on it that I'll lend to you. For now, follow me and I'll show you to your rooms."

* * *

_**And sometimes it's utterly boring.** _

_**I think I'm afraid...** _

_**But I don't know what 'fear' truly feels like.** _

_**Is it cold?** _

_**"No colder than you" The Universe replied.** _

_**Is it dark?  
"That would be no different from you too."** _

_**Is it considered Death if I am to be reborn as something cruel? Something that Consumes?** _

* * *

"Open Gate of the Goat, I open thee!" A bright flash enveloped the room and the humanoid goat stood in front of Lucy, looking as regal and strong as he did when she first met him.

"Miss Lucy," He greeted, bowing to his master. Lucy smiled at him softly from her spot on her bed.

"Capricorn, I need advice," She said, as he stood back up. Her eyes were filled with sadness as she looked at her feet.

"I would be happy to advise you anytime, Miss Lucy." He said softly, coming to sit next to his master. "What do you need me to advise?"

Lucy sniffed and rubbed at her eyes, trying to get rid of the burning feeling. "Do you think Aquarius wants me to find her? It seems like every place I check, I get the same information. 'There's a strange storm/water mage that's causing flooding and is reeking havoc, etc. etc.' But they seem to be moving farther and farther away. Somehow, I just know that it's Aquarius. I can feel it here," She touched the dark marks across her collarbone briefly and lightly. "But, if she asked me to find her again, why does it seem like she doesn't want to be found?"

Capricorn was silent for a few moments, thinking on why Aquarius was acting the way she was acting. "Perhaps… she wishes to test you. If this mage is truly her, then the reason she is leading you on a chase is because she wishes to see if you are worthy of her once again. I know that you had to break her key in order to summon my King, but in turn you also broke the trusted bond between Master and Celestial Spirit and even then, Aquarius was passed on to you by your mother- you've never had to prove yourself to her, because she simply saw you as Layla's daughter and a friend. Now, if you succeed in your mission, she will see you as her Master, and the trusted bond between you will be restored. If you wish to see her side of things, I would suggest meditation."

Lucy felt tears fall down her cheeks. She's never felt so stupid. Of course this was a fucking test.

She wiped the tears away and sniffed again. "Meditate? Are you sure you're not trying to get me to train with you again?"

Capricorn patted his Master's shoulder and shook his head. "No, Miss Lucy, though I do wish you'd train more, I believe that by meditating and connecting with the magic Aquarius left you, you'll be able to understand her more. The magic she left you and her own are connected; you just have to find that connection and you should have the answers you need." With that, Capricorn flashed back into the Celestial Realm.

Lucy looked at the spot that was just occupied and sighed heavily. Then she straightened her shoulders and walked out of her room. Time to try something new.

* * *

_**Even more so than you?** _

_**At this moment, I am collapsing in on myself in an unexpected self destruction.** _

_**I would say my goodbyes to you,** _

_**But you're most likely goading** _

_**As I am at the end of deconstruction.** _

* * *

She decided that her backyard was the best place to meditate; there was a small pond there that came alive at night and would be perfect for connecting with her water magic. A slab of marble served at a sitting area and there were huge Amethysts and Tourmalines that stuck out of the ground around the pond.

Lucy walked almost silently over to the marble slab; dressed in nothing but a long white slip, she looked almost ethereal in the moonlight. She sat down and crossed her legs and began to clear out her mind.

As soon as she made her way into her core, she felt a familiar presence.  _Lucy_

It was as if someone zapped her with lightning.  _Lucy_

Her veins turned to ice and her breath turned icy.  _Lucy_

She felt energized and empowered. Her breath was knocked out of her as she reach out to the presence.  _Lucy_

_Aquarius_

* * *

_**Solemnly Signed,** _

_**A Star** _


End file.
